The European Union has announced fresh sanctions on Russia, targeting its oil, gas, and financial sectors, aiming to curb war funding. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy welcomed the move, urging other nations to join global efforts to pressure Moscow
Ukrainian firefighters at the scene of a Russian attack in Kyiv, on Thursday. Pic/Getty Images
The European Union on Thursday heaped more economic sanctions on Russia, adding to US President Donald Trump’s new punitive measures the previous day against the Russian oil industry. Russian state media dismissed the measures, claiming they are largely ineffective.
It is part of a broadened effort to choke off the revenue that funds Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and compel President Vladimir Putin to negotiate an end to the war.
The measures are a triumph for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has long campaigned for the international community to punish Russia more comprehensively for attacking his country.
“We waited for this. God bless, it will work. And this is very important,” the Ukrainian leader said in Brussels, where EU countries attending a summit announced the latest round of Russia sanctions.
Despite US-led peace efforts in recent months, the war shows no sign of ending after more than three years of fighting, and European leaders are increasingly concerned about the threat from Russia.
The EU measures target Russian oil and gas, the Russian shadow fleet of hundreds of ageing tankers that are dodging sanctions, and Russia’s financial sector. A new system for limiting the movement of Russian diplomats within the 27-nation EU will also be introduced.
Zelenskyy urged more nations to punish Russia. “This is a good signal to other countries in the world to join the sanctions,” he told reporters in Brussels.
Meanwhile, the two sides continued to pummel each other with strikes overnight. In a village in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, Russia conducted a so-called double-tap drone strike, hitting the same place a second time when first responders arrived at the scene of the first strike. One emergency worker was killed and five of his colleagues were injured. Russian drones also attacked three districts of Kyiv, injuring eight people.
The Russian Defence Ministry, meanwhile, reported intercepting and destroying 139 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions and the annexed Crimean peninsula overnight.
139
No. of Ukrainian drones Russia says it shot down
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