The member states of the European Union (EU) agreed on the 11th package of sanctions against Russia, which is mainly aimed at preventing the circumvention of the sanctions introduced so far due to aggression against Ukraine.
"Today, the ambassadors of the member states agreed on the 11th package of sanctions against Russia," the Swedish presidency announced on Twitter, adding that the package includes measures aimed at curbing sanctions evasion and adding new names to the sanctioned list.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on Twitter that the new package with tougher export restrictions and measures against legal entities that support the Kremlin will deal a new blow to Putin's war machine.
The agreement on the 11th package of sanctions was reached at the ambassadorial level and must now be confirmed by the governments of the member states in a written procedure, Radio Free Europe reports.
The new package of sanctions prohibits the transit through Russia of goods and technology that could be used by the Russian military or help its defense and security sector.
Restrictions are being introduced on the sale of sensitive goods and dual-use technology to countries that could sell them to Russia, and the list of prohibited goods that could serve the Russian military and defense sector is being expanded.
The package also extends the suspension of broadcasting licenses in the EU for five Russian media under the control of the Russian state.
The EU has previously imposed a ban on the import of Russian crude oil and oil derivatives, and is now banning access to European ports for ships reasonably suspected of being involved in ship-to-ship transfer of Russian oil to circumvent the ban.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today that progress in Ukraine's counteroffensive against Russian forces is "slower than desired," but that Kiev will not be under pressure to speed it up, Reuters reports.
"Some people believe this is a Hollywood movie and now they expect results. It's not," he told Britain's BBC in an interview to be broadcast later.
"What is at stake are people's lives," Zelensky said.
Reuters reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow had noticed a "lull" in the Ukrainian counter-offensive, which began at the beginning of this month.
"Although Ukraine still had some offensive potential, Kiev realized it had no chance," Putin said in televised remarks.
Reuters reports that Ukraine says it has so far recaptured eight villages in its long-awaited counteroffensive, its first major battlefield success in seven months.
The Ukrainian army conquers the territory around Bakhmut with the help of captured Russian tanks, reports Radio Free Europe.
Those combat vehicles were seized last year in counter-offensive operations in the Kharkiv region.
The tanks were then taken for repairs, and then involved in the attack on Russian positions in the Ukrainian region of Donetsk.
The US will provide 1,3 billion dollars in additional aid for the Ukrainian economy, especially for the necessary infrastructure, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced today at the international conference for the reconstruction of Ukraine in London.
"As long as Russia continues to destroy, we will be there to help Ukraine rebuild its lives, its country, its future," Blinken said.
About 520 million dollars of aid will be allocated to the reconstruction of the energy infrastructure of Ukraine, and 657 million dollars for the modernization of railways, ports, borders and all the necessary infrastructure that connects the country with Europe, the US Secretary of State added.
The rest of the funds will go to support Ukrainian companies and finance the digitization of the administration, and especially to eradicate corruption, he added, as reported by Agence France-Presse, in a clear message to Ukrainian leaders whom he called on to continue reforms in this sense.
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, the US has allocated more than 20 billion dollars to support the Ukrainian economy and the development of the country, and more than 40 billion dollars only for military support.
But like other world leaders who spoke at the conference before him, such as British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak or European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Blinken also called on the private sector to get involved.
"Although governments and financial institutions have an important role to play in the reconstruction of Ukraine, only the private sector can mobilize the necessary level of investment to respond to the country's enormous needs," said Blinken.
He also insisted that Russia should pay for the damage caused by its aggression in Ukraine.
"Russia is responsible for the destruction in Ukraine and should ultimately bear the cost of rebuilding Ukraine," Blinken said.
(BETA)
At the summit to be held in Vilnius in July, NATO will commit to further assistance in the modernization of the Ukrainian army, said the Secretary General of the Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg.
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The Ministry of Defense of Russia announced that it repelled the Ukrainian drone attack on the Moscow region.
The Russian ministry also stated that all three Ukrainian drones were shot down, Reuters reported.
The spokesman of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Andriy Kovalev, said that heavy fighting is taking place near Lajman in the Donetsk region, but that it is preventing the advance of Russian forces in the east of the country.
He also pointed out that Ukrainian forces are making progress and achieving "partial success" towards Melitopol and Berdyansk in the Zaporozhye region, reports Reuters.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced continued support and a large aid package for Ukraine, including three billion dollars in additional guarantees for loans from the World Bank.
At the beginning of a two-day conference in London dedicated to the reconstruction and recovery of Ukraine, Sunak also announced a package of 306 million dollars in bilateral aid, as well as the expansion of British investments in Ukraine, reports Reuters.
"Along with our allies, we will be with Ukraine as long as necessary, until victory in this war. I am proud to announce a multi-year commitment to support the Ukrainian economy," said the British Prime Minister.
Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres called for the acceleration of grain transportation from the Black Sea ports as part of the agreement on safe export, said UN spokesman Farhan Haq.
"The amount of grain exported fell from a record 4,2 million metric tons in October 2022 to 1,3 million metric tons in May this year," Haq said, Reuters reported.
According to him, the Secretary General of the United Nations is disappointed with the slowing down of the ship inspection procedure and the exclusion of the port of Yuzhny, one of the three Ukrainian Black Sea ports included in the Black Sea export agreement.
"The Secretary-General appeals to all to speed up operations and urges them to do their utmost to ensure the continuation of this vital agreement," Haq said.
War in Ukraine – 483th day
Two drones were shot down this morning near a military base in the Moscow region, and there were no victims or casualties in the attack, said local governor Andrei Vorobyov.
"Two drones crashed this morning at 5.30:5.50 and 50:XNUMX (local time) during the approach to the warehouses of the military base" located in the village of Kalininets, Naro-Fominsko district, about XNUMX kilometers southwest of Moscow, Vorobyov said via Telegram.
He said that the aircraft were shot down by "Russian soldiers".
"Debris has been found, there is no damage or casualties," said the governor of the Moscow region and called on residents to remain calm.
Russian special services are investigating the place of the drone crash, he added.
Moscow and its area more than 500 kilometers from the Ukrainian border have so far been rarely targeted by drone attacks since the start of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022, although such attacks have increased elsewhere in Russia.
In early May, two drones were shot down over the Kremlin in an attack that the Russians blamed on Ukraine. In recent months, drones have also targeted military bases or energy infrastructure in Russia.
(BETA)
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