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By Zaheena Rasheed, Usaid Siddiqui and Virginia PietromarchiCanada’s Trudeau announces new weapons for Ukraine
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced new weapons and equipment for Ukraine after an unannounced visit to Kyiv.
Trudeau, addressing a news conference after talks with Zelenskiyy, also said Canada was imposing new sanctions on Russian individuals and entities in connection with Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Canada, he said, was reopening its embassy in Kyiv.
US imposes visa restrictions on Russian military officers, targets maritime sector
The US Department of State announced a raft of visa bans and a new policy of visa restrictions on more than 2,500 Russian military officials and Russian-backed forces in Ukraine, according to a department fact sheet.
It also said it designated eight Russian maritime-related companies and added 69 vessels to a US Treasury Department sanctions list.
Russia says it hits US-supplied weapons in Ukraine
Russia says it has destroyed weapons and military equipment provided to Ukraine by the US and other unspecified Western countries.
Igor Konashenkov, Russia’s defence ministry’s spokesperson, said “high-precision air-launched missiles of the Russian Aerospace Forces” struck the targets near the settlement of Soledar, TASS news agency reported.
G7 leaders pledge further economic isolation of Russia
The Group of Seven (G7) leaders said in a joint statement that they will reinforce Russia’s economic isolation and “elevate” a campaign against Russian elites who support President Vladimir Putin.
After meeting virtually with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the leaders said they would cut off key services on which Russia depends, reinforcing the isolation of Russia “across all sectors of its economy”.
They also committed to phasing out dependency on Russian energy, including by banning imports of Russian oil. “(W)e will continue and elevate our campaign against the financial elites and family members, who support President Putin in his war effort and squander the resources of the Russian people,” the statement added.
Russian shells hit Lysychansk oil refinery, damage production areas: Local authority
Russian shells struck the oil refinery at Lysychansk in eastern Ukraine, damaging production facilities, the governor of Luhansk region said.
Serhiy Haidai, writing on his Telegram channel, said the strike was one of a recent series of attacks and had damaged facilities, including areas where crude oil is received and mixed with other elements of the refining process. Haidai said persistent artillery fire was preventing firefighting teams from working.
US imposes new sanctions on Russia
The US has unveiled sanctions against three Russian television stations, banned Americans from providing accounting and consulting services to Russians, and sanctioned executives from Gazprombank to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.
The move comes as US President Joe Biden met virtually with leaders of the G7 nations and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy.
“This is not a full block. We’re not freezing the assets of Gazprombank or prohibiting any transactions with Gazprombank,” a senior Biden administration official told reporters. “What we’re signalling is that Gazprombank is not a safe haven, and so we’re sanctioning some of their top business executives … to create a chilling effect.”
Eight executives from Sberbank, which holds one-third of Russia’s banking assets, were added to the sanctions list. Moscow Industrial Bank and its 10 subsidiaries were also added.
US top diplomat returns to Kyiv embassy
American top diplomat to Ukraine Kristina Kvien and her team have arrived in Kyiv, a senior US Department of State official has said, in the latest step towards the resumption of a full US presence in the Ukrainian capital.
Videos posted on social media showed a motorcade rolling into the embassy compound.
The team’s visit was timed to commemorate World War II’s Victory in Europe Day, the official said. Russia celebrates the 1945 defeat of Nazi Germany on its Victory Day on Monday.
EU edges towards oil sanctions on Russia, no deal yet
European Union governments moved closer to agreeing on tough sanctions against Russia that include a ban on buying Russian oil, but scheduled more talks for Monday to work out how to ensure countries most dependent on Russian energy can cope.
Diplomats of the 27 EU countries have been meeting daily to discuss details of the sixth sanctions package targeting Moscow since the European Commission announced proposals for it on May 4.
“The Council (of EU governments) is united on the need to adopt a 6th sanctions package,” the French presidency of the EU and the Commission said in a statement. “Very significant progress has been made on most of the measures.”
The sticking point is how to secure oil supplies to landlocked Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, which all depend heavily on Russian crude delivered via Soviet-era pipelines and face a challenge to secure alternative sources.
Zelenskyy, German parliament chief discuss arms, EU membership
In a video of a meeting with the German parliament’s President Baerbel Bas, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that securing the Bundestag’s approval of heavy arms deliveries to help Ukraine fend off Russian attacks was one his country’s “top priorities.”
He also asked Bas and the Bundestag or parliament to support Ukraine in its bid for European Union membership, which Kyiv’s allies have said they want soon. However, candidature would have to be agreed upon unanimously, and accession usually takes years of complex negotiations.
Pelosi urges US Congress to approve $33bn in aid by end of May
US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday told CBS news that Congress needs to pass by the end of the month a bill that would give Ukraine $33bn in military and humanitarian aid.
U2’s Bono gives performance in Kyiv metro
Irish rock group U2’s frontman Bono and his bandmate the Edge performed a 40-minute concert in a metro station in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
“Your president leads the world in the cause of freedom right now … The people of Ukraine are not just fighting for your own freedom, you’re fighting for all of us who love freedom,” Bono told a crowd of up to 100 gathered inside the Khreshchatyk metro station.
Ukrainian, US diplomats discuss food security
Ukrainian top diplomat Dmytro Kuleba has discussed with his US counterpart Antony Blinken “ways to unblock Ukraine’s food exports and ensure global food security”, he said on Twitter.
Kuleba also said that “stiff US sanctions are coming” on Russia.
Ukraine, one of the world’s major grain and oilseeds producers, used to export most of its cereals through its Black Sea ports, which have been blocked by Russia since war began.
Mr.BadGuy
Publisher
These soldiers are from a country whose president is a Jew Zelensky. Orthodox churches are also being destroyed in this country. Synagogues are not touched. Surprisingly, it turns out that Jews get along well with the Bandera Nazis.