EC raised new sanctions, President Putin warned of a double-edged sword

Photo: Reuters

“We have heard officials talk about the possibility of nationalizing some of our assets. How far will they go? Don’t forget that it is a double-edged sword,” Putin said.

According to Reuters news agency, Putin made the announcement a day after Germany said that the country’s energy regulator would take control of Gazprom Germania, a gas trading, storage and transmission enterprise, after consolidating Russia’s Gazprom group announced its withdrawal from this business last week.

President Putin also said that Russia needs to closely monitor the export of agricultural products to unfriendly countries.

European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen has announced that the European Union (EU) is proposing new sanctions against Russia, including a ban on imports of coal, timber, chemicals and other products worth up to 9 billion euros a year.

The EU also proposes to ban exports to Russia of semiconductors, computers, liquefied petroleum gas technology and transport and electrical equipment worth 10 billion euros a year. Russian ships and trucks are also banned from entering the EU. In addition, the 27 EU member states also banned all transactions with four key Russian banks, including VTB – Russia’s second largest bank.

The Russian coal ban, if approved by EU countries, would be the first ban on any energy imports from Russia passed by the union since President Putin approved it to proceed. Special operations in Ukraine on 2/24.

The announcement comes hours after Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko called for severing all business ties with Russia, blocking the flow of money. “Every euro, every cent that you receive from Russia or send to Russia is blood,” Klitschko said at a meeting in Geneva via video.

Ukraine’s Interior Ministry said today that a civilian ship in Mariupol has sunk after being hit by artillery fire by Russian forces from the sea. The ministry said the ship was flying the flag of the Dominican Republic, while anchored in the port of Mariupol, was attacked. The crew was rescued, including one injured. However, the Ukrainian Interior Ministry did not disclose the nationality of the crew.

On the same day, the Ukrainian Parliament announced on Twitter that a nitric acid tank in the city of Rubizhne in eastern Ukraine was hit by a Russian projectile. The incident caused a cloud of toxic smoke to blanket the area, and Rubizhne residents were advised to stay indoors or wear masks dipped in sodium solution.

Regarding the incident in Bucha, Ukraine, UN human rights office spokesman Liz Throssell said all indications were that civilians had been directly targeted and killed.

Speaking in New York, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said today: “I will never forget the horrifying images of civilians being killed in the town of Bucha, Ukraine.” According to the leader, the war in Ukraine is one of the biggest challenges to the international order and the global peace architecture founded on the UN Charter.

Hoai Linh