West puts pressure on Russia

After two days of consultations in Versailles, France, the 27 heads of government of the European Union have not reached a decision on additional sanctions against Russia. This was revealed on Friday afternoon during a press conference by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Council President Charles Michel and host and President of France Emmanuel Macron. Macron said “all options are on the table” to impose more “massive” sanctions on Russia if the war continues.

The EU also continues its diplomacy and continues to support Ukraine financially and with military equipment. The trio also confirmed the European intention to become independent from Russian gas, oil and coal. This should be possible before 2027, provided Europe invests heavily in sustainable and nuclear energy. Michel emphasized that there must be a separate plan for the coming winter. It also examines what can be done about the sky-high energy prices in the short term and at EU level.

EU leaders also discussed Ukraine’s membership application after Putin’s invasion. According to von der Leyen, this shows the country “its wish and right to determine its own destiny”. She also stated that Ukraine is “part of the European family”. However, these words seem to make little impression in Ukraine: shortly after the press conference, President Zelensky said the EU is “doing too little”

Trade Sanctions G7

The G7 of major industrialized countries (Canada, Germany, Italy, France, Japan, UK and US) and the EU canceled Russia’s trade status as the ‘most favored nation’. This paves the way for tariffs on a wide range of Russian goods. In addition, there will be an American ban on the import of alcohol, sea products and diamonds from Russia, among other things, President Joe Biden announced on Friday. The reason for the measure is the “unjust Russian invasion of Ukraine”.

The decision comes on top of a recently introduced unprecedented Western sanctions package targeting Russian banks and oligarchs, which the International Monetary Fund says will plunge the country into a “deep recession” before this year.

Biden continued his Friday speech with a number of warnings to the Kremlin. That will pay a heavy price, he said, if it uses chemical weapons in this war. Russia accuses Washington and Kiev of developing chemical and biological weapons, without providing evidence. The White House, which called the allegations “laughable,” says Moscow’s innuendo wants to pave the way for using these weapons itself.

At a meeting of the UN Security Council on Friday, Russia again stated that the Americans are working with biological weapons in Ukraine. The UN’s head of disarmament, Japan’s Izumi Nakamitsu, said he had no knowledge of the presence of biological weapons in Ukraine. Another senior UN official said he had received “credible reports” during a meeting of the UN Security Council that Russia is using cluster munitions in its siege of Ukrainian cities. This is prohibited under international humanitarian law.