The Kyiv Independent
"German defense minister says Ukraine to receive fewer Leopard tanks than promised"
by The Kyiv Independent news desk
February 15, 2023 9:13 pm
Western allies will not be able to supply Ukraine with two full battalions of Leopard 2 tanks as they previously promised, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Feb. 15, according to Bloomberg.
Only Germany and Portugal promised to send the A6 version of Leopard 2 battle tanks, with 14 pledged by Berlin and three by the Portuguese government, Pistorius told reporters after a meeting of NATO ministers in Brussels.
"We will not reach the size of a battalion," he said.
A standard Ukrainian battalion consists of 31 tanks.
Meanwhile, Poland, along with Norway, Canada, Spain, and Finland, managed to put together a battalion of the older A4 model of Leopards, Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said, cited by Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
However, according to Pistorius, many of these tanks are in poor condition and need repairs before they can be sent.
The battalion of Leopard 2A4 tanks will only arrive in Ukraine at the end of April, the minister added.
On Feb. 14, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the coalition of countries working on providing Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks included Germany, Poland, Canada, Portugal, Spain, Norway, Denmark, and the Netherlands.
Later on the day, though, the governments of the Netherlands and Denmark announced that neither country would deliver Leopard 2 tanks, the German news source Welt reported.
https://kyivindependent.com/news-feed/g ... n-promised
THE EUROPEANS
Re: THE EUROPEANS
The Daily Mail
"Vladimir Putin 'is not preparing for peace': NATO chief warns Europe is at risk of running out of ammunition to help Ukraine fight back with Russia 'preparing for new offensives'"
* NATO chief warns Vladimir Putin preparing for 'fresh offensives and new attacks'
* Jens Stoltenberg told military alliance that West was running low on ammo
* He urged all 30 countries to step up deliveries to aid Ukraine's 'war of attrition'
By JAMES FRANEY IN BRUSSELS
PUBLISHED: 17:39 EST, 14 February 2023
The West risks running out of ammunition, Nato’s chief said yesterday, as he also warned Vladimir Putin is ‘preparing for more war’ in Ukraine.
Jens Stoltenberg told the 30 countries from the military alliance that they need to step up deliveries to ensure Ukraine can fight back against Russian aggression.
Ahead of a two-day meeting of Nato defence ministers in Brussels, the former Norwegian prime minister said: ‘This has become a grinding war of attrition and therefore it’s also a battle of logistics."
'This is a huge effort by allies to actually be able to get in the ammunition, the fuel, the spare parts, which are needed.’
He added: ‘We see no signs that President Putin is preparing for peace.'
'What we see is the opposite, he is preparing for more war, for new offensives and new attacks.’
Ukrainian officials say Moscow is plotting a much broader offensive on the eastern Donbas regions, but also fresh attacks on Kharkiv in the northeast and Zaporizhzhia in the country’s south-east.
It comes after a British national died in Ukraine.
The identity of the individual – the eighth UK citizen to die in the conflict – is not yet known, but their family has been informed, the Foreign Office said.
Ukraine’s armed forces are firing some 6,000 artillery shells a day, far faster than their Western allies can resupply them.
Russia is using as much as 20,000 rounds a day equivalent to what European factories can produce in a month.
But there is yet no decision on supplying Western fighter jets to the Ukrainian military.
Kyiv has demanded urgent air support that has been met with a mixed response from allies.
Oleksiy Reznikov, Ukraine’s defence minister, yesterday held up an image of a fighter jet when asked what he wanted from the meeting aimed at providing more weapons to the country.
The US and the UK have ruled out handing jets for now, but Britain has announced a training programme for Ukrainian fighter pilots.
Dutch defence minister Kajsa Ollongren said the Netherlands was taking Ukraine’s request for F-16 jets ‘very seriously’.
Her Polish counterpart Mariusz Blaszczak vowed ‘to apply pressure’ on fellow Western allies.
‘We are aware that our potential in this area is limited because we have only 48 F-16 aircraft, but the allies have much more potential, so I think that this conversation will end with positive decisions,’ he said.
Mr Stoltenberg insisted that the topic of aircraft ‘is not the most urgent issue now, but it is an ongoing discussion’.
‘The urgent need now is to deliver what has already been promised.'
'The armoured infantry fighting vehicles, and other battle tanks that have been pledged,’ he said.
US defence secretary Lloyd Austin said as many as 15 Nato countries have promised to send Ukraine battle tanks and 22 are set to provide infantry fighting vehicles.
‘The Kremlin is still betting that it can wait us out,’ he said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky failed to receive any concrete pledges on jets during his tour of London, Paris, and Brussels last week.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... raine.html
"Vladimir Putin 'is not preparing for peace': NATO chief warns Europe is at risk of running out of ammunition to help Ukraine fight back with Russia 'preparing for new offensives'"
* NATO chief warns Vladimir Putin preparing for 'fresh offensives and new attacks'
* Jens Stoltenberg told military alliance that West was running low on ammo
* He urged all 30 countries to step up deliveries to aid Ukraine's 'war of attrition'
By JAMES FRANEY IN BRUSSELS
PUBLISHED: 17:39 EST, 14 February 2023
The West risks running out of ammunition, Nato’s chief said yesterday, as he also warned Vladimir Putin is ‘preparing for more war’ in Ukraine.
Jens Stoltenberg told the 30 countries from the military alliance that they need to step up deliveries to ensure Ukraine can fight back against Russian aggression.
Ahead of a two-day meeting of Nato defence ministers in Brussels, the former Norwegian prime minister said: ‘This has become a grinding war of attrition and therefore it’s also a battle of logistics."
'This is a huge effort by allies to actually be able to get in the ammunition, the fuel, the spare parts, which are needed.’
He added: ‘We see no signs that President Putin is preparing for peace.'
'What we see is the opposite, he is preparing for more war, for new offensives and new attacks.’
Ukrainian officials say Moscow is plotting a much broader offensive on the eastern Donbas regions, but also fresh attacks on Kharkiv in the northeast and Zaporizhzhia in the country’s south-east.
It comes after a British national died in Ukraine.
The identity of the individual – the eighth UK citizen to die in the conflict – is not yet known, but their family has been informed, the Foreign Office said.
Ukraine’s armed forces are firing some 6,000 artillery shells a day, far faster than their Western allies can resupply them.
Russia is using as much as 20,000 rounds a day equivalent to what European factories can produce in a month.
But there is yet no decision on supplying Western fighter jets to the Ukrainian military.
Kyiv has demanded urgent air support that has been met with a mixed response from allies.
Oleksiy Reznikov, Ukraine’s defence minister, yesterday held up an image of a fighter jet when asked what he wanted from the meeting aimed at providing more weapons to the country.
The US and the UK have ruled out handing jets for now, but Britain has announced a training programme for Ukrainian fighter pilots.
Dutch defence minister Kajsa Ollongren said the Netherlands was taking Ukraine’s request for F-16 jets ‘very seriously’.
Her Polish counterpart Mariusz Blaszczak vowed ‘to apply pressure’ on fellow Western allies.
‘We are aware that our potential in this area is limited because we have only 48 F-16 aircraft, but the allies have much more potential, so I think that this conversation will end with positive decisions,’ he said.
Mr Stoltenberg insisted that the topic of aircraft ‘is not the most urgent issue now, but it is an ongoing discussion’.
‘The urgent need now is to deliver what has already been promised.'
'The armoured infantry fighting vehicles, and other battle tanks that have been pledged,’ he said.
US defence secretary Lloyd Austin said as many as 15 Nato countries have promised to send Ukraine battle tanks and 22 are set to provide infantry fighting vehicles.
‘The Kremlin is still betting that it can wait us out,’ he said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky failed to receive any concrete pledges on jets during his tour of London, Paris, and Brussels last week.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... raine.html
Re: THE EUROPEANS
REUTERS
"Ukrainian troops holding Bakhmut line demand weapons as world powers meet"
By Yiming Woo and Andrew Gray
February 18, 2023
Summary
* Soldiers resisting Russian attacks want more arms
* Western officials meet in Munich over Europe's security
* Anniversary of Putin's Feb. 24 invasion nears, costs mount
NEAR BAKHMUT, Ukraine/MUNICH, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Ukrainian soldiers fighting to hold off a Russian push on the small eastern city of Bakhmut pleaded for more weapons from the outside world as senior Western leaders met in Munich on Friday to assess the year-long war shaking Europe.
"Give us more military equipment, more weapons, and we will deal with the Russian occupier, we will destroy them," said Dmytro, a serviceman standing in the snow near Bakhmut, echoing a plea by his president to the Munich conference.
Nearly one year into the invasion, President Vladimir Putin's troops are intensifying assaults in the east.
Ukraine is planning a spring counter-offensive, for which it wants more, heavier and longer-range weapons from its Western allies.
Europe's worst conflict since World War Two war has killed tens of thousands, uprooted millions from their homes, pummelled the global economy and made Putin a pariah in the West.
He says he is fighting for Russia's security against an aggressively expanding NATO alliance, but Kyiv and its allies cast the invasion as a colonial-style land grab in Ukraine, formerly part of the Russian-dominated Soviet Union.
On the freezing battlefield, Ukrainian servicemen showed a visiting journalist the benefits of Australian-provided Bushmaster armoured vehicles in an area where Russian soldiers have become bogged down in months of fighting to take Bakhmut, which Russia's Wagner mercenary group is attacking.
The vehicles shield soldiers from bullets, enable evacuations of wounded and give cover for reconnaissance, Dmytro added.
"There were cases when anti-tank mines were detonated, and the soldiers only received contusions."
"There were no serious injuries to the soldiers."
"It has worked very well."
The governor of Luhansk, one of two provinces in what is known as the Donbas which Russia partially controls and wants to take completely, said ground and air attacks were increasing.
"Today it is rather difficult on all directions," Serhiy Haidai told local TV.
"There are constant attempts to break through our defence lines," he said of fighting near the city of Kreminna.
In its latest update, Russia said a barrage of missile strikes on Thursday around Ukraine had achieved their goals in hitting facilities providing fuel and ammunition to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's army.
Kyiv reported 36 missiles, of which 16 were shot down, and said its largest oil refinery, Kremenchuk, was struck.
'AMERICAN WARMONGERS'
Attending the three-day Munich Security Conference were a host of senior Western officials including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.
Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Donetsk region
At last year's gathering, they had urged Putin not to invade and warned of dire consequences if he did.
This year, they are grappling with the implications of that.
Zelenskiy, speaking by video link, called for allies at the meeting to speed up sending weapons and won immediate support from Scholz and Macron.
In another sign of international backing, the International Monetary Fund said on Friday it had reached a staff-level agreement with Ukraine, paving the way for talks on a full loan programme.
As well as the pressing problem of the war, the Cold War-style standoff with Russia has revived huge wider security issues for Europe: how much to rely on the United States, how much to spend on defence, how to build its own capacity.
Kyiv said only a full Russian exit was acceptable.
"Negotiations can begin when Russia withdraws its troops from the territory of Ukraine."
"Other options only give Russia time to regroup forces and resume hostilities at any moment," Ukraine presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on Twitter.
The Pentagon said on Friday that the first Ukrainian battalion with about 635 soldiers had completed a roughly five-week-long U.S. course of combined arms training on the M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle in Germany.
Additional battalion-level combined arms training was already underway, it said.
The United States has announced plans to give Ukraine more than 50 of the armoured vehicles, which have a powerful gun and have been used by the U.S. Army to carry troops around battlefields since the mid-1980s.
Moscow accuses the United States of inciting Ukraine to escalate the war and now being directly involved.
"The American warmongers ... supply weapons in huge quantities, provide intelligence and participate directly in the planning of combat operations," said Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry.
Russia's current focus is on Bakhmut, a now largely shattered city in Donetsk province - adjacent to Luhansk - whose pre-war population of about 70,000 people have mainly fled.
The Ukrainian 80th Air Assault Brigade's press officer, Taras Dzioba, said the Russians had paid a heavy price after waves of assaults around the city.
"There are places where their bodies are just piled up."
"There is a trench ..."
"They just don't evacuate their wounded or killed," Dzioba said near a howitzer battery outside a defensive bunker.
Capturing Bakhmut would give Russia a stepping stone to advance on two bigger cities further west, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
But Ukraine and allies say it would be a pyrrhic victory given the time taken and losses sustained.
The White House said Russian mercenary company Wagner Group has suffered more than 30,000 casualties so far during Russia's invasion, with about 9,000 of those fighters killed in action.
Reporting by Yiming Woo, Olena Harmash, Alexander Vasovic, Guy Faulconbridge, Andrew Gray and Andreas Rinke; Additional reporting by Phil Stewart in Washington; Writing by Andrew Cawthorne and Andrew Heavens; Editing by Mark Heinrich, Daniel Wallis and Diane Craft
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/uk ... erm=021823
"Ukrainian troops holding Bakhmut line demand weapons as world powers meet"
By Yiming Woo and Andrew Gray
February 18, 2023
Summary
* Soldiers resisting Russian attacks want more arms
* Western officials meet in Munich over Europe's security
* Anniversary of Putin's Feb. 24 invasion nears, costs mount
NEAR BAKHMUT, Ukraine/MUNICH, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Ukrainian soldiers fighting to hold off a Russian push on the small eastern city of Bakhmut pleaded for more weapons from the outside world as senior Western leaders met in Munich on Friday to assess the year-long war shaking Europe.
"Give us more military equipment, more weapons, and we will deal with the Russian occupier, we will destroy them," said Dmytro, a serviceman standing in the snow near Bakhmut, echoing a plea by his president to the Munich conference.
Nearly one year into the invasion, President Vladimir Putin's troops are intensifying assaults in the east.
Ukraine is planning a spring counter-offensive, for which it wants more, heavier and longer-range weapons from its Western allies.
Europe's worst conflict since World War Two war has killed tens of thousands, uprooted millions from their homes, pummelled the global economy and made Putin a pariah in the West.
He says he is fighting for Russia's security against an aggressively expanding NATO alliance, but Kyiv and its allies cast the invasion as a colonial-style land grab in Ukraine, formerly part of the Russian-dominated Soviet Union.
On the freezing battlefield, Ukrainian servicemen showed a visiting journalist the benefits of Australian-provided Bushmaster armoured vehicles in an area where Russian soldiers have become bogged down in months of fighting to take Bakhmut, which Russia's Wagner mercenary group is attacking.
The vehicles shield soldiers from bullets, enable evacuations of wounded and give cover for reconnaissance, Dmytro added.
"There were cases when anti-tank mines were detonated, and the soldiers only received contusions."
"There were no serious injuries to the soldiers."
"It has worked very well."
The governor of Luhansk, one of two provinces in what is known as the Donbas which Russia partially controls and wants to take completely, said ground and air attacks were increasing.
"Today it is rather difficult on all directions," Serhiy Haidai told local TV.
"There are constant attempts to break through our defence lines," he said of fighting near the city of Kreminna.
In its latest update, Russia said a barrage of missile strikes on Thursday around Ukraine had achieved their goals in hitting facilities providing fuel and ammunition to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's army.
Kyiv reported 36 missiles, of which 16 were shot down, and said its largest oil refinery, Kremenchuk, was struck.
'AMERICAN WARMONGERS'
Attending the three-day Munich Security Conference were a host of senior Western officials including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.
Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Donetsk region
At last year's gathering, they had urged Putin not to invade and warned of dire consequences if he did.
This year, they are grappling with the implications of that.
Zelenskiy, speaking by video link, called for allies at the meeting to speed up sending weapons and won immediate support from Scholz and Macron.
In another sign of international backing, the International Monetary Fund said on Friday it had reached a staff-level agreement with Ukraine, paving the way for talks on a full loan programme.
As well as the pressing problem of the war, the Cold War-style standoff with Russia has revived huge wider security issues for Europe: how much to rely on the United States, how much to spend on defence, how to build its own capacity.
Kyiv said only a full Russian exit was acceptable.
"Negotiations can begin when Russia withdraws its troops from the territory of Ukraine."
"Other options only give Russia time to regroup forces and resume hostilities at any moment," Ukraine presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on Twitter.
The Pentagon said on Friday that the first Ukrainian battalion with about 635 soldiers had completed a roughly five-week-long U.S. course of combined arms training on the M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle in Germany.
Additional battalion-level combined arms training was already underway, it said.
The United States has announced plans to give Ukraine more than 50 of the armoured vehicles, which have a powerful gun and have been used by the U.S. Army to carry troops around battlefields since the mid-1980s.
Moscow accuses the United States of inciting Ukraine to escalate the war and now being directly involved.
"The American warmongers ... supply weapons in huge quantities, provide intelligence and participate directly in the planning of combat operations," said Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry.
Russia's current focus is on Bakhmut, a now largely shattered city in Donetsk province - adjacent to Luhansk - whose pre-war population of about 70,000 people have mainly fled.
The Ukrainian 80th Air Assault Brigade's press officer, Taras Dzioba, said the Russians had paid a heavy price after waves of assaults around the city.
"There are places where their bodies are just piled up."
"There is a trench ..."
"They just don't evacuate their wounded or killed," Dzioba said near a howitzer battery outside a defensive bunker.
Capturing Bakhmut would give Russia a stepping stone to advance on two bigger cities further west, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
But Ukraine and allies say it would be a pyrrhic victory given the time taken and losses sustained.
The White House said Russian mercenary company Wagner Group has suffered more than 30,000 casualties so far during Russia's invasion, with about 9,000 of those fighters killed in action.
Reporting by Yiming Woo, Olena Harmash, Alexander Vasovic, Guy Faulconbridge, Andrew Gray and Andreas Rinke; Additional reporting by Phil Stewart in Washington; Writing by Andrew Cawthorne and Andrew Heavens; Editing by Mark Heinrich, Daniel Wallis and Diane Craft
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/uk ... erm=021823
Re: THE EUROPEANS
FOX NEWS
"VP Harris returns from Germany in C-17 support plane after Air Force Two experiences mechanical issues"
Story by Timothy Nerozzi
18 FEBRUARY 2023
Vice President Kamala Harris was forced to switch planes on her return trip from Europe on Saturday due to technical issues on Air Force Two.
Harris boarded a C-17 support plane Saturday afternoon following her speech at the Munich Security Conference in Germany.
"Due to maintenance difficulties, the VP and the traveling party will depart Munich to Washington, D.C. on a back-up aircraft," a White House official told reporters.
Harris met with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of the United Kingdom this afternoon following her remarks at the Munich conference.
She also briefly met with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of Sweden and Prime Minister Sanna Marin of Finland
The conference runs from Feb. 17-19 and gathers world leaders to discuss pressing international security issues, including the war in Ukraine.
Harris announced in her conference address that the U.S. has officially determined that Russian forces have committed a series of crimes against humanity during their invasion of Ukraine.
"Long before I was vice president of the United States, I spent the majority of my career as a prosecutor, beginning as a young lawyer in the courtroom and later running the California Department of Justice," Harris said.
She continued, "I know firsthand the importance of gathering facts and holding them up against the law."
"In the case of Russia's actions in Ukraine, we have examined the evidence."
"We know the legal standards."
"And there is no doubt these are crimes against humanity."
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... 85c6feb8f9
"VP Harris returns from Germany in C-17 support plane after Air Force Two experiences mechanical issues"
Story by Timothy Nerozzi
18 FEBRUARY 2023
Vice President Kamala Harris was forced to switch planes on her return trip from Europe on Saturday due to technical issues on Air Force Two.
Harris boarded a C-17 support plane Saturday afternoon following her speech at the Munich Security Conference in Germany.
"Due to maintenance difficulties, the VP and the traveling party will depart Munich to Washington, D.C. on a back-up aircraft," a White House official told reporters.
Harris met with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of the United Kingdom this afternoon following her remarks at the Munich conference.
She also briefly met with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of Sweden and Prime Minister Sanna Marin of Finland
The conference runs from Feb. 17-19 and gathers world leaders to discuss pressing international security issues, including the war in Ukraine.
Harris announced in her conference address that the U.S. has officially determined that Russian forces have committed a series of crimes against humanity during their invasion of Ukraine.
"Long before I was vice president of the United States, I spent the majority of my career as a prosecutor, beginning as a young lawyer in the courtroom and later running the California Department of Justice," Harris said.
She continued, "I know firsthand the importance of gathering facts and holding them up against the law."
"In the case of Russia's actions in Ukraine, we have examined the evidence."
"We know the legal standards."
"And there is no doubt these are crimes against humanity."
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... 85c6feb8f9
Re: THE EUROPEANS
REUTERS
"EU close to deal on 10th sanctions package against Russia"
By Jan Strupczewski, Andrew Gray
FEBRUARY 21, 2023
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union is close to a 10th sanctions package against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and EU governments hope to reach a deal on Wednesday if they can overcome differences about a ban on Russian rubber and diamond imports, EU diplomats said.
Among those the bloc is seeking to target are Russians it says are involved in the illegal deportation of some 6,000 Ukrainian children.
The package, worth 11 billion euros ($11.70 billion), is also likely to include, for the first time, a ban on all exports to seven Iranian entities believed to be making items used by Russia in the war.
“We were discussing today the 10th sanctions package against Russia,” Polish ambassador to the EU Andrzej Sados said after talks by ambassadors of the EU’s 27 governments in Brussels.
“We will restart the discussion tomorrow afternoon in the hope that we can find a common denominator,” he said.
The EU wants to have the package, including against those accused of the deportation of children, ready in time for the anniversary of the invasion on Feb. 24.
“At least 34 Russian institutions are involved in systemic stealing of Ukrainian children, including the Russian children’s ombudsman,” Sados said.
The U.N. refugee agency said last month Russia was giving the children Russian passports and putting them up for adoption.
A U.S.-backed report this month said Russia had held at least 6,000 Ukrainian children in sites in Russian-held Crimea and Russia whose primary purpose appeared to be political re-education.
Russia’s embassy in Washington said Russia accepted children who were forced to flee Ukraine.
In response to the UNHCR, Russia’s foreign ministry accused its chief of being silent when children died as a result of what she said was Ukrainian shelling in the Donbas region after pro-Moscow separatists declared independence in 2014.
DIAMOND TRADE
Sados said there was some progress on setting an embargo on imports of Russian diamonds, either polished or rough, because Belgium was easing its opposition to it even though it would hurt Europe’s biggest diamond trading centre in Antwerp.
But he and other diplomats said diamonds were unlikely to be part of this package because such a measure still needed to be coordinated with G7 countries, whose leaders were likely to mention the issue in a statement on Friday.
Neither would the package include sanctioning Russia’s nuclear energy sector and putting Rosatom on the sanctions list, diplomats said, because several European countries, including France, buy uranium from Russia for their reactors.
But the EU was close to a compromise on banning Russian synthetic rubber, diplomats said, even though Germany and Italy opposed a complete embargo which Poland and the Baltic countries are calling for.
The solution could be a quota and the talks were focusing on how much could be allowed, diplomats said.
The EU will also ban sales to Russia of all dual-use and electronic components used in Russian armed systems such as drones and missiles and helicopters -- basically anything that can be found in Russian weapons on Ukrainian battlefields.
The EU is also likely to cut more Russian banks, including the private Alfa-Bank, the online bank Tinkoff and the commercial lender Rosbank from the global messaging system SWIFT.
The EU is likely to ban Russia Today’s Arabic service from its territory and prohibit sales to Russia of electronic circuits and components, thermal cameras, radios and heavy vehicles, as well as steel and aluminium used in construction and machinery serving industrial and construction purposes.
Reporting by Jan Strupczewski; Editing by Alison Williams
https://www.reuters.com/article/ukraine ... SL8N3516EO
"EU close to deal on 10th sanctions package against Russia"
By Jan Strupczewski, Andrew Gray
FEBRUARY 21, 2023
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union is close to a 10th sanctions package against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and EU governments hope to reach a deal on Wednesday if they can overcome differences about a ban on Russian rubber and diamond imports, EU diplomats said.
Among those the bloc is seeking to target are Russians it says are involved in the illegal deportation of some 6,000 Ukrainian children.
The package, worth 11 billion euros ($11.70 billion), is also likely to include, for the first time, a ban on all exports to seven Iranian entities believed to be making items used by Russia in the war.
“We were discussing today the 10th sanctions package against Russia,” Polish ambassador to the EU Andrzej Sados said after talks by ambassadors of the EU’s 27 governments in Brussels.
“We will restart the discussion tomorrow afternoon in the hope that we can find a common denominator,” he said.
The EU wants to have the package, including against those accused of the deportation of children, ready in time for the anniversary of the invasion on Feb. 24.
“At least 34 Russian institutions are involved in systemic stealing of Ukrainian children, including the Russian children’s ombudsman,” Sados said.
The U.N. refugee agency said last month Russia was giving the children Russian passports and putting them up for adoption.
A U.S.-backed report this month said Russia had held at least 6,000 Ukrainian children in sites in Russian-held Crimea and Russia whose primary purpose appeared to be political re-education.
Russia’s embassy in Washington said Russia accepted children who were forced to flee Ukraine.
In response to the UNHCR, Russia’s foreign ministry accused its chief of being silent when children died as a result of what she said was Ukrainian shelling in the Donbas region after pro-Moscow separatists declared independence in 2014.
DIAMOND TRADE
Sados said there was some progress on setting an embargo on imports of Russian diamonds, either polished or rough, because Belgium was easing its opposition to it even though it would hurt Europe’s biggest diamond trading centre in Antwerp.
But he and other diplomats said diamonds were unlikely to be part of this package because such a measure still needed to be coordinated with G7 countries, whose leaders were likely to mention the issue in a statement on Friday.
Neither would the package include sanctioning Russia’s nuclear energy sector and putting Rosatom on the sanctions list, diplomats said, because several European countries, including France, buy uranium from Russia for their reactors.
But the EU was close to a compromise on banning Russian synthetic rubber, diplomats said, even though Germany and Italy opposed a complete embargo which Poland and the Baltic countries are calling for.
The solution could be a quota and the talks were focusing on how much could be allowed, diplomats said.
The EU will also ban sales to Russia of all dual-use and electronic components used in Russian armed systems such as drones and missiles and helicopters -- basically anything that can be found in Russian weapons on Ukrainian battlefields.
The EU is also likely to cut more Russian banks, including the private Alfa-Bank, the online bank Tinkoff and the commercial lender Rosbank from the global messaging system SWIFT.
The EU is likely to ban Russia Today’s Arabic service from its territory and prohibit sales to Russia of electronic circuits and components, thermal cameras, radios and heavy vehicles, as well as steel and aluminium used in construction and machinery serving industrial and construction purposes.
Reporting by Jan Strupczewski; Editing by Alison Williams
https://www.reuters.com/article/ukraine ... SL8N3516EO
Re: THE EUROPEANS
REUTERS
"Tesla scales back German battery plans, won over by U.S. incentives"
By Victoria Waldersee
February 21, 2023
BERLIN, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Tesla has paused plans to produce entire batteries in Brandenburg, Germany, and will instead carry out some production steps in the United States where tax incentives are more favourable, the Brandenburg economy ministry said on Tuesday.
The U.S. carmaker had originally planned to produce the full battery at the Gruenheide site in Germany, with a peak capacity of over 50 gigawatt hours per year.
But with the United States offering electric vehicle makers sourcing batteries from within the United States tax breaks and consumer discounts, the company has changed course.
"Tesla has started its battery system production in Gruenheide and is preparing to manufacture battery cell components."
"The company has prioritized further production steps in the USA because tax incentives make business conditions more favorable there," the Brandenburg economy ministry said in a statement.
Tesla did not respond to requests for comment.
Chief Executive Elon Musk said in March 2022 that the battery plant would reach volume production by the end of 2023, but the plant and car production site have hit their targets later than planned.
In 2020, Musk said the Berlin gigafactory would be the biggest battery factory in the world.
Tesla has struggled to ramp up production of the 4680 battery cell at its factories in Fremont, California, and Austin, Texas, which experts have attributed to new and unproven techniques the company has been having trouble scaling up.
It announced in late January it would invest more than $3.6 billion to expand its Nevada gigafactory complex with two new factories, one to mass produce its long-delayed Semi electric truck and the other to make its new 4680 battery cell.
Reporting by Victoria Waldersee; Editing by Mark Potter
https://www.reuters.com/technology/tesl ... 023-02-21/
"Tesla scales back German battery plans, won over by U.S. incentives"
By Victoria Waldersee
February 21, 2023
BERLIN, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Tesla has paused plans to produce entire batteries in Brandenburg, Germany, and will instead carry out some production steps in the United States where tax incentives are more favourable, the Brandenburg economy ministry said on Tuesday.
The U.S. carmaker had originally planned to produce the full battery at the Gruenheide site in Germany, with a peak capacity of over 50 gigawatt hours per year.
But with the United States offering electric vehicle makers sourcing batteries from within the United States tax breaks and consumer discounts, the company has changed course.
"Tesla has started its battery system production in Gruenheide and is preparing to manufacture battery cell components."
"The company has prioritized further production steps in the USA because tax incentives make business conditions more favorable there," the Brandenburg economy ministry said in a statement.
Tesla did not respond to requests for comment.
Chief Executive Elon Musk said in March 2022 that the battery plant would reach volume production by the end of 2023, but the plant and car production site have hit their targets later than planned.
In 2020, Musk said the Berlin gigafactory would be the biggest battery factory in the world.
Tesla has struggled to ramp up production of the 4680 battery cell at its factories in Fremont, California, and Austin, Texas, which experts have attributed to new and unproven techniques the company has been having trouble scaling up.
It announced in late January it would invest more than $3.6 billion to expand its Nevada gigafactory complex with two new factories, one to mass produce its long-delayed Semi electric truck and the other to make its new 4680 battery cell.
Reporting by Victoria Waldersee; Editing by Mark Potter
https://www.reuters.com/technology/tesl ... 023-02-21/
Re: THE EUROPEANS
BUSINESS INSIDER
"NATO is seeing signs China might help Russia wage its war, but the US has threatened 'serious consequences' if it does"
Story by cpanella@insider.com (Chris Panella,Jake Epstein)
23 FEBRUARY 2023
* NATO's chief said on Wednesday that there are signs China may send lethal aid to Russia.
* Washington has warned of "serious consequences" if China further involves itself in the war.
* US official believes Russia is running out of munitions and has lost up to half of its tanks.
NATO is growing concerned that China is planning to send military aid to Russia and has joined the US in urging Beijing against further involvement in the war in Ukraine.
"We are also increasingly concerned that China may be planning to provide lethal support for Russia's war," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters earlier this week.
During a Wednesday interview with the Associated Press, Stoltenberg was asked if the military alliance is aware of any indication that China is preparing to do so.
"We have seen some signs that they may be planning for that and of course NATO allies, the United States, have been warning against it because this is something that should not happen."
"China should not support Russia's illegal war," he told the outlet.
Stoltenberg added that if China decided to send lethal aid to Russia, it would be a "blatant violation of international law."
His comments mark the latest words of caution from the West, which has routinely urged China to reconsider its relationship with Russia as Moscow's full-scale war in Ukraine reaches its one-year anniversary.
Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters at a Thursday briefing that while China has yet to actually send lethal aid to Russia, "they haven't taken it off the table."
"We reinforced there that, again, there will be consequences for China should this partnership with Russia further deepen," Singh said, later adding that "we're coming to the one-year anniversary just at the end of this week and it would certainly be a miscalculation of China to provide lethal aid to Russia."
Singh's comments echo earlier sentiments from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
During a recent interview with Margaret Brennan of CBS News' "Face the Nation," Blinken shared that he had a conversation with senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi about the Chinese surveillance balloon that was shot down over US airspace earlier this month, and also about China's involvement in Russia's war in Ukraine.
"And I was able to share with him, as President Biden had shared with President Xi, the serious consequences that would have for our relationship," Blinken said.
He noted that the US has seen China "provide non-lethal support to Russia for use in Ukraine."
"The concern that we have now is based on information we have that they're considering providing lethal support, and we've made very clear to them that that would cause a serious problem for us and in our relationship," he said.
Washington's concerns about possible Chinese support of Russia's war come as US officials warn that Moscow is struggling to provide military equipment to its forces in Ukraine.
In the past, Russian President Vladimir Putin has turned to countries like Iran and North Korea for military support.
"Russia is also running out of munitions and has lost as much as 50% of its tanks," US Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said on Tuesday, adding that Moscow had to "turn to mothballed Soviet-era weapons."
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/na ... 7ae4&ei=34
"NATO is seeing signs China might help Russia wage its war, but the US has threatened 'serious consequences' if it does"
Story by cpanella@insider.com (Chris Panella,Jake Epstein)
23 FEBRUARY 2023
* NATO's chief said on Wednesday that there are signs China may send lethal aid to Russia.
* Washington has warned of "serious consequences" if China further involves itself in the war.
* US official believes Russia is running out of munitions and has lost up to half of its tanks.
NATO is growing concerned that China is planning to send military aid to Russia and has joined the US in urging Beijing against further involvement in the war in Ukraine.
"We are also increasingly concerned that China may be planning to provide lethal support for Russia's war," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters earlier this week.
During a Wednesday interview with the Associated Press, Stoltenberg was asked if the military alliance is aware of any indication that China is preparing to do so.
"We have seen some signs that they may be planning for that and of course NATO allies, the United States, have been warning against it because this is something that should not happen."
"China should not support Russia's illegal war," he told the outlet.
Stoltenberg added that if China decided to send lethal aid to Russia, it would be a "blatant violation of international law."
His comments mark the latest words of caution from the West, which has routinely urged China to reconsider its relationship with Russia as Moscow's full-scale war in Ukraine reaches its one-year anniversary.
Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters at a Thursday briefing that while China has yet to actually send lethal aid to Russia, "they haven't taken it off the table."
"We reinforced there that, again, there will be consequences for China should this partnership with Russia further deepen," Singh said, later adding that "we're coming to the one-year anniversary just at the end of this week and it would certainly be a miscalculation of China to provide lethal aid to Russia."
Singh's comments echo earlier sentiments from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
During a recent interview with Margaret Brennan of CBS News' "Face the Nation," Blinken shared that he had a conversation with senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi about the Chinese surveillance balloon that was shot down over US airspace earlier this month, and also about China's involvement in Russia's war in Ukraine.
"And I was able to share with him, as President Biden had shared with President Xi, the serious consequences that would have for our relationship," Blinken said.
He noted that the US has seen China "provide non-lethal support to Russia for use in Ukraine."
"The concern that we have now is based on information we have that they're considering providing lethal support, and we've made very clear to them that that would cause a serious problem for us and in our relationship," he said.
Washington's concerns about possible Chinese support of Russia's war come as US officials warn that Moscow is struggling to provide military equipment to its forces in Ukraine.
In the past, Russian President Vladimir Putin has turned to countries like Iran and North Korea for military support.
"Russia is also running out of munitions and has lost as much as 50% of its tanks," US Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said on Tuesday, adding that Moscow had to "turn to mothballed Soviet-era weapons."
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/na ... 7ae4&ei=34
Re: THE EUROPEANS
REUTERS
"G20 tussles over Ukraine war as West steps up sanctions"
By Shivangi Acharya, David Lawder
FEBRUARY 24, 2023
BENGALURU (Reuters) -Finance leaders of the world’s top economies sought on Friday to bridge differences over how to deal with Russia following its invasion of Ukraine a year ago, as the West stepped up sanctions against Moscow.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen accused Russian officials at the two-day Group of Twenty (G20) meeting in the Indian city of Bengaluru of being “complicit” in war atrocities.
But, underlining the split with those nations which have not joined efforts to isolate the Russian economy, meeting host India avoided mention of the year-old war in inaugural remarks and said the global economy faced a range of other challenges.
“I would urge that your discussions should focus on the most vulnerable citizens of the world,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, adding that stability, confidence and growth had to be brought back to the world economy.
Modi cited the aftermath of the COVID pandemic, rising debt levels, disruptions to supply chains and threats to food and energy security as key concerns.
India does not want the bloc to discuss sanctions on Russia and is also pressing to avoid using the word “war” in any communique, G20 officials told Reuters.
But French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said there was no way the group could step back from a joint statement agreed at a G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, last November, which noted that “most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine”.
“Either we have the same language or we do not sign on the final communique,” Le Maire told reporters.
Such stand-offs have become increasingly common in the G20, a forum created over 20 years ago in response to past economic crises but which has recently been hobbled by differences between Western nations and others including China and Russia.
Speaking on the first anniversary of the Russian invasion, Yellen urged G20 economies to redouble efforts to support Ukraine and restrict Russia’s capacity to wage war.
“I urge the Russian officials here at the G20 to understand that their continued work for the Kremlin makes them complicit in Putin’s atrocities,” Yellen said in remarks to the meeting.
Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland also rebuked the Russians personally, according to a Western official familiar with her remarks.
Speaking in Russian, she said: “You are apparatchiks, you are economists - you are not soldiers."
"But, all the same, you also bear personal responsibility for this criminal war."
"We know who you are, and we will not forget,” said Freeland, who is of Ukrainian descent.
Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov and central bank governor Elvira Nabiullina did not attend, with Moscow represented by deputies.
Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a “special military operation”.
G7 DEEPENS RUSSIA SANCTIONS
Leaders of the wealthy G7 democracies issued a statement pledging to continually deepen sanctions against those aiding Russia’s war effort after they had a virtual meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
“We will maintain, fully implement and expand the economic measures we have already imposed,” the statement released by current G7 president Japan said, noting that it would be working on how to deprive Russia of revenues from diamond exports.
Separately, Washington released details of new measures it was taking that not only targeted Russia but also “third-country actors” across Europe, Asia and the Middle East that are supporting Russia’s war effort.
“We will sanction additional actors tied to Russia’s defence and technology industry, including those responsible for backfilling Russian stocks of sanctioned items or enabling Russian sanctions evasion,” it said.
Britain also issued more sanctions against Russia, including export bans on every item it has used on the battlefield and import bans on iron and steel goods.
But European Union countries were still struggling to overcome disagreements on a new set of EU sanctions against Russia, diplomatic sources told Reuters.
They were making a new bid on Friday after talks ended in failure late on Thursday.
The G20 bloc includes the G7 countries, as well as Russia, China, India, Brazil and Saudi Arabia, among others.
British Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt told reporters that focusing G20 discussions on Ukraine did not mean neglecting other issues.
“In the end, unless we resolve the global security threats, there can be no progress on these other areas,” he said.
Both China and India have seen trade with Russia surge in the wake of sanctions, with New Delhi vastly increasing its purchases of cheaper Russian oil.
The meeting comes amid signs that the global outlook has improved from the last G20 summit in October, when a number of economies were teetering on the brink of recession amid energy and food price spikes.
The G20 meeting is also expected to hold talks on debt relief for distressed countries, with pressure building on China, the world’s largest bilateral creditor, and other nations to take a large haircut in loans.
In a video address to the meeting, China’s finance minister Liu Kun reiterated Beijing’s position that the World Bank and other multilateral development banks participate in debt relief by taking haircuts alongside bilateral creditors.
Reporting by David Lawder, Aftab Ahmed, Shivangi Acharya, Sarita Singh, Swati Bhat, Christian Kraemer and Shilpa Jamkhandikar; Writing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Mark John; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore and Catherine Evans
https://www.reuters.com/article/g20-ind ... SL1N3540CE
"G20 tussles over Ukraine war as West steps up sanctions"
By Shivangi Acharya, David Lawder
FEBRUARY 24, 2023
BENGALURU (Reuters) -Finance leaders of the world’s top economies sought on Friday to bridge differences over how to deal with Russia following its invasion of Ukraine a year ago, as the West stepped up sanctions against Moscow.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen accused Russian officials at the two-day Group of Twenty (G20) meeting in the Indian city of Bengaluru of being “complicit” in war atrocities.
But, underlining the split with those nations which have not joined efforts to isolate the Russian economy, meeting host India avoided mention of the year-old war in inaugural remarks and said the global economy faced a range of other challenges.
“I would urge that your discussions should focus on the most vulnerable citizens of the world,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, adding that stability, confidence and growth had to be brought back to the world economy.
Modi cited the aftermath of the COVID pandemic, rising debt levels, disruptions to supply chains and threats to food and energy security as key concerns.
India does not want the bloc to discuss sanctions on Russia and is also pressing to avoid using the word “war” in any communique, G20 officials told Reuters.
But French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said there was no way the group could step back from a joint statement agreed at a G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, last November, which noted that “most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine”.
“Either we have the same language or we do not sign on the final communique,” Le Maire told reporters.
Such stand-offs have become increasingly common in the G20, a forum created over 20 years ago in response to past economic crises but which has recently been hobbled by differences between Western nations and others including China and Russia.
Speaking on the first anniversary of the Russian invasion, Yellen urged G20 economies to redouble efforts to support Ukraine and restrict Russia’s capacity to wage war.
“I urge the Russian officials here at the G20 to understand that their continued work for the Kremlin makes them complicit in Putin’s atrocities,” Yellen said in remarks to the meeting.
Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland also rebuked the Russians personally, according to a Western official familiar with her remarks.
Speaking in Russian, she said: “You are apparatchiks, you are economists - you are not soldiers."
"But, all the same, you also bear personal responsibility for this criminal war."
"We know who you are, and we will not forget,” said Freeland, who is of Ukrainian descent.
Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov and central bank governor Elvira Nabiullina did not attend, with Moscow represented by deputies.
Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a “special military operation”.
G7 DEEPENS RUSSIA SANCTIONS
Leaders of the wealthy G7 democracies issued a statement pledging to continually deepen sanctions against those aiding Russia’s war effort after they had a virtual meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
“We will maintain, fully implement and expand the economic measures we have already imposed,” the statement released by current G7 president Japan said, noting that it would be working on how to deprive Russia of revenues from diamond exports.
Separately, Washington released details of new measures it was taking that not only targeted Russia but also “third-country actors” across Europe, Asia and the Middle East that are supporting Russia’s war effort.
“We will sanction additional actors tied to Russia’s defence and technology industry, including those responsible for backfilling Russian stocks of sanctioned items or enabling Russian sanctions evasion,” it said.
Britain also issued more sanctions against Russia, including export bans on every item it has used on the battlefield and import bans on iron and steel goods.
But European Union countries were still struggling to overcome disagreements on a new set of EU sanctions against Russia, diplomatic sources told Reuters.
They were making a new bid on Friday after talks ended in failure late on Thursday.
The G20 bloc includes the G7 countries, as well as Russia, China, India, Brazil and Saudi Arabia, among others.
British Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt told reporters that focusing G20 discussions on Ukraine did not mean neglecting other issues.
“In the end, unless we resolve the global security threats, there can be no progress on these other areas,” he said.
Both China and India have seen trade with Russia surge in the wake of sanctions, with New Delhi vastly increasing its purchases of cheaper Russian oil.
The meeting comes amid signs that the global outlook has improved from the last G20 summit in October, when a number of economies were teetering on the brink of recession amid energy and food price spikes.
The G20 meeting is also expected to hold talks on debt relief for distressed countries, with pressure building on China, the world’s largest bilateral creditor, and other nations to take a large haircut in loans.
In a video address to the meeting, China’s finance minister Liu Kun reiterated Beijing’s position that the World Bank and other multilateral development banks participate in debt relief by taking haircuts alongside bilateral creditors.
Reporting by David Lawder, Aftab Ahmed, Shivangi Acharya, Sarita Singh, Swati Bhat, Christian Kraemer and Shilpa Jamkhandikar; Writing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Mark John; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore and Catherine Evans
https://www.reuters.com/article/g20-ind ... SL1N3540CE
Re: THE EUROPEANS
REUTERS
"EU approves 10th package of Russia sanctions on anniversary of invasion"
By Gabriela Baczynska
February 24, 2023
BRUSSELS, Feb 24 (Reuters) - The European Union, after hectic last-minute haggling, has approved a tenth package of Russia sanctions on the anniversary of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, the Swedish EU presidency said late on Friday.
"Together, the EU member states have imposed the most forceful and far-reaching sanctions ever to help Ukraine win the war," the presidency announced on Twitter.
"The EU stands united with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people."
"We will keep supporting Ukraine, for as long as it takes."
The package includes tighter export restrictions regarding dual-use goods as well as measures against entities supporting the war, spreading propaganda or delivering drones used by Russia.
With two hours to go until midnight, EU member states made it across the finish line with little time to spare after Poland earlier threw a spanner into the works.
Warsaw said the proposed restrictions on EU imports of Russian rubber included such a big quota of imports exempted and such long transition periods that they would have no effect in practice.
Other EU countries were baffled that Warsaw - a leading Russia hawk in the bloc - was risking having no new sanctions announced on the one-year anniversary of Russia's attack against Ukraine over just one element of a broader package.
"This is very bad optics."
"What was supposed to be key here is a message of solidarity with Ukraine on this special day," said one diplomat involved in the confidential negotiations between the 27 EU countries in the bloc's hub Brussels.
All member states need to approve sanctions for them to be enacted, making negotiations among the 27 often tedious and lengthy.
The EU has said the 10th round of sanctions against Russia since the war started was designed to make financing the war more difficult and starve Russia of tech equipment and spare parts for arms used against Ukraine.
Measures were also meant to blacklist more individuals including what the West says are Russian propagandists, those Kyiv holds responsible for deporting Ukrainian children to Russia and those involved in the production of Iranian drones deployed on the frontline.
The package was also designed to cut off more banks including the private Alfa-Bank and the online bank Tinkoff from the global system SWIFT and cut trade between the EU and Russia by more than 10 billion euros, according to the bloc's executive.
Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska and Sabine Siebold; Editing by Philippa Fletcher and Matthew Lewis
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/eu ... 023-02-24/
"EU approves 10th package of Russia sanctions on anniversary of invasion"
By Gabriela Baczynska
February 24, 2023
BRUSSELS, Feb 24 (Reuters) - The European Union, after hectic last-minute haggling, has approved a tenth package of Russia sanctions on the anniversary of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, the Swedish EU presidency said late on Friday.
"Together, the EU member states have imposed the most forceful and far-reaching sanctions ever to help Ukraine win the war," the presidency announced on Twitter.
"The EU stands united with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people."
"We will keep supporting Ukraine, for as long as it takes."
The package includes tighter export restrictions regarding dual-use goods as well as measures against entities supporting the war, spreading propaganda or delivering drones used by Russia.
With two hours to go until midnight, EU member states made it across the finish line with little time to spare after Poland earlier threw a spanner into the works.
Warsaw said the proposed restrictions on EU imports of Russian rubber included such a big quota of imports exempted and such long transition periods that they would have no effect in practice.
Other EU countries were baffled that Warsaw - a leading Russia hawk in the bloc - was risking having no new sanctions announced on the one-year anniversary of Russia's attack against Ukraine over just one element of a broader package.
"This is very bad optics."
"What was supposed to be key here is a message of solidarity with Ukraine on this special day," said one diplomat involved in the confidential negotiations between the 27 EU countries in the bloc's hub Brussels.
All member states need to approve sanctions for them to be enacted, making negotiations among the 27 often tedious and lengthy.
The EU has said the 10th round of sanctions against Russia since the war started was designed to make financing the war more difficult and starve Russia of tech equipment and spare parts for arms used against Ukraine.
Measures were also meant to blacklist more individuals including what the West says are Russian propagandists, those Kyiv holds responsible for deporting Ukrainian children to Russia and those involved in the production of Iranian drones deployed on the frontline.
The package was also designed to cut off more banks including the private Alfa-Bank and the online bank Tinkoff from the global system SWIFT and cut trade between the EU and Russia by more than 10 billion euros, according to the bloc's executive.
Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska and Sabine Siebold; Editing by Philippa Fletcher and Matthew Lewis
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/eu ... 023-02-24/
Re: THE EUROPEANS
REUTERS
"New intelligence points to pro-Ukraine group in Nord Stream attack, NYT reports"
Reuters
March 7, 2023
WASHINGTON, March 7 (Reuters) - New intelligence reviewed by U.S. officials suggests that a pro-Ukraine group - likely comprised of Ukrainians or Russians - attacked the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September, but there are no firm conclusions, the New York Times reported on Tuesday.
There was no evidence that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy or other Ukrainian government officials were behind the attacks which spewed natural gas into the Baltic Sea, the newspaper reported, citing U.S. officials.
Reuters could not independently verify the report.
The Sept. 26 explosions on the pipelines connecting Russia and Germany occurred in the exclusive economic zones of Sweden and Denmark.
Both countries have concluded the blasts were deliberate, but have not said who might be responsible.
The United States and NATO have called the pipeline attacks "an act of sabotage," while Moscow has blamed the West.
Neither side has provided evidence.
Denmark, Germany and Sweden said last month that their investigations have not yet concluded.
The United States and Britain said on Tuesday they were waiting on those findings.
"We need to let these investigations conclude and only then should we be looking at what follow-on actions might or may not be appropriate," said White House spokesperson John Kirby.
Germany said on Tuesday it had taken note of the New York Times report but that its own investigation had not yet produced results.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson both declined to comment on the New York Times report during a news conference in Stockholm.
A senior aide to Zelenskiy, Mykhailo Podolyak, said that Kyiv was "absolutely not involved" in the blasts and has no information about what happened.
Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the media reports on Tuesday underscored the need for Moscow's questions about what happened to be answered.
She also accused those responsible for the media leaks of wanting to divert the public's attention and avoid a proper investigation.
OPPOSITION TO PUTIN
The pipelines were built by Russia's state-controlled Gazprom.
Gazprom did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
German energy company E.ON and Wintershall DEA, both shareholders of the Nord Stream pipeline, declined to comment.
In the year since Russia invaded Ukraine, Europe has drastically cut its energy imports from Russia.
Moscow this week called for all Nord Stream stakeholders to decide its fate.
The U.S. intelligence review suggested those who carried out the attacks opposed Russian President Vladimir Putin "but does not specify the members of the group, or who directed or paid for the operation," the New York Times wrote.
"Officials who have reviewed the intelligence said they believed the saboteurs were most likely Ukrainian or Russian nationals, or some combination of the two."
"U.S. officials said no American or British nationals were involved," according to the New York Times report.
Germany's ARD broadcaster and Zeit newspaper reported on Tuesday, without citing sources, that German authorities were able to identify the boat used for the sabotage operation.
A group of five men and one woman, using forged passports, rented a yacht from a Poland-based company owned by Ukrainian citizens, the German media outlets reported.
The nationality of the perpetrators is unclear, they reported.
Investigators founds traces of explosives on the yacht, which the group took from Rostock, Germany on Sept. 6, according to ARD and Zeit.
They also reported that intelligence indicated that a pro-Ukrainian group could be behind the attack, but German authorities have not yet found any evidence.
Reuters could not independently verify the information.
Russia last month gave the U.N. Security Council a draft resolution which - if adopted - would ask U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to establish an international, independent investigation into the attack and who was responsible.
Russia's Deputy U.N. Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy said the media reports on Tuesday made Russia's move at the United Nations as "very timely," telling Reuters that "by the end of March there definitely will be a vote" on the resolution.
Reporting by Steve Holland, Simon Lewis and Jonathan Landay in Washington, Michelle Nichols in New York, Riham Alkousaa in Berlin and David Ljunggren; Writing by Susan Heavey, Kanishka Singh and Michelle Nichols; Editing by David Gregorio and Cynthia Osterman
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/us ... 023-03-07/
"New intelligence points to pro-Ukraine group in Nord Stream attack, NYT reports"
Reuters
March 7, 2023
WASHINGTON, March 7 (Reuters) - New intelligence reviewed by U.S. officials suggests that a pro-Ukraine group - likely comprised of Ukrainians or Russians - attacked the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September, but there are no firm conclusions, the New York Times reported on Tuesday.
There was no evidence that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy or other Ukrainian government officials were behind the attacks which spewed natural gas into the Baltic Sea, the newspaper reported, citing U.S. officials.
Reuters could not independently verify the report.
The Sept. 26 explosions on the pipelines connecting Russia and Germany occurred in the exclusive economic zones of Sweden and Denmark.
Both countries have concluded the blasts were deliberate, but have not said who might be responsible.
The United States and NATO have called the pipeline attacks "an act of sabotage," while Moscow has blamed the West.
Neither side has provided evidence.
Denmark, Germany and Sweden said last month that their investigations have not yet concluded.
The United States and Britain said on Tuesday they were waiting on those findings.
"We need to let these investigations conclude and only then should we be looking at what follow-on actions might or may not be appropriate," said White House spokesperson John Kirby.
Germany said on Tuesday it had taken note of the New York Times report but that its own investigation had not yet produced results.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson both declined to comment on the New York Times report during a news conference in Stockholm.
A senior aide to Zelenskiy, Mykhailo Podolyak, said that Kyiv was "absolutely not involved" in the blasts and has no information about what happened.
Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the media reports on Tuesday underscored the need for Moscow's questions about what happened to be answered.
She also accused those responsible for the media leaks of wanting to divert the public's attention and avoid a proper investigation.
OPPOSITION TO PUTIN
The pipelines were built by Russia's state-controlled Gazprom.
Gazprom did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
German energy company E.ON and Wintershall DEA, both shareholders of the Nord Stream pipeline, declined to comment.
In the year since Russia invaded Ukraine, Europe has drastically cut its energy imports from Russia.
Moscow this week called for all Nord Stream stakeholders to decide its fate.
The U.S. intelligence review suggested those who carried out the attacks opposed Russian President Vladimir Putin "but does not specify the members of the group, or who directed or paid for the operation," the New York Times wrote.
"Officials who have reviewed the intelligence said they believed the saboteurs were most likely Ukrainian or Russian nationals, or some combination of the two."
"U.S. officials said no American or British nationals were involved," according to the New York Times report.
Germany's ARD broadcaster and Zeit newspaper reported on Tuesday, without citing sources, that German authorities were able to identify the boat used for the sabotage operation.
A group of five men and one woman, using forged passports, rented a yacht from a Poland-based company owned by Ukrainian citizens, the German media outlets reported.
The nationality of the perpetrators is unclear, they reported.
Investigators founds traces of explosives on the yacht, which the group took from Rostock, Germany on Sept. 6, according to ARD and Zeit.
They also reported that intelligence indicated that a pro-Ukrainian group could be behind the attack, but German authorities have not yet found any evidence.
Reuters could not independently verify the information.
Russia last month gave the U.N. Security Council a draft resolution which - if adopted - would ask U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to establish an international, independent investigation into the attack and who was responsible.
Russia's Deputy U.N. Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy said the media reports on Tuesday made Russia's move at the United Nations as "very timely," telling Reuters that "by the end of March there definitely will be a vote" on the resolution.
Reporting by Steve Holland, Simon Lewis and Jonathan Landay in Washington, Michelle Nichols in New York, Riham Alkousaa in Berlin and David Ljunggren; Writing by Susan Heavey, Kanishka Singh and Michelle Nichols; Editing by David Gregorio and Cynthia Osterman
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/us ... 023-03-07/