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In view of the events in the Kiev suburb of Bucha in the Ukraine war, Macron is calling for tougher sanctions. News ticker about the negotiations.
- Alleged Russian atrocities in the Kiev suburb of Bucha in the Ukraine war* shock the world community (see first report).
- After the bodies were found in Bucha, the EU wants to quickly impose new sanctions on Russia (update April 4 at 12:40 pm).
- Austria rejects an energy embargo – along with Germany (update April 4, 2:50 pm).
- The European Union wants to approve new sanctions against Russia (update April 5, 9:30 am).
- This one News ticker on Ukraine* and Russia* negotiations and diplomatic efforts is continually updated. More information about the conflict in Ukraine* here.
Update as of April 6 at 10:08 am: Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin has threatened Europeans with retaliation for their actions against the Russian group Gazprom. “The situation in the energy sector is deteriorating,” Putin said in Moscow on Tuesday, referring to “brutal measures, including administrative pressure on our company Gazprom in some European countries” that are not in line with the market. The federal government on Monday ordered the Federal Network Agency to temporarily take control of Gazprom Germania.
Putin told a televised meeting that a threat to nationalize Russian assets is a “double-edged sword”. He also announced that given the global food shortage, Russian supplies, particularly to “enemy” countries, would need to be closely monitored.
Update as of April 5 at 10:15 am: After the bodies were found in the recaptured areas of Ukraine, the EU plans to introduce more sanctions against Russia. However, Germany and Austria oppose an energy embargo. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to address the UN Security Council. You can find more developments related to trades in our new ticker.
Update as of April 5 at 9:30 am: The EU will apparently decide on new sanctions against Russia in the Ukraine war. European Secretary of State Clement Beaune told French radio RFI. The background to this is reports of civilians killed in the Kiev suburb of Bucha, as reported by ntv.
Update April 5, 6:52 am: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due to address the UN Security Council on Tuesday for the first time since Russia invaded his country. The announcement was made by Britain, which currently holds the presidency, on Monday night. Meanwhile, Britain, along with the US, is pushing ahead with Russia’s expulsion from the UN Human Rights Council over the alleged massacre of civilians in the Kiev suburb of Bucha. Russia has harshly criticized Western advances.
The UN mission in Britain said on Twitter that it “will ensure that the truth about Russia’s war crimes comes to light”. Britain “will expose Putin’s war for what it really is,” the diplomatic mission said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
War in Ukraine: Russia’s Exclusion from the UN Human Rights Council Demanded
The US and UK are calling for Russia’s “suspension” from the UN Human Rights Council. “We cannot allow a member state that is in the process of undermining every principle we hold dear to participate in the UN Human Rights Council,” US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said on Twitter on Monday. “The images of Bucha and the devastation in Ukraine are now forcing us to back up our words with actions.”
Australia is also imposing new sanctions on Russia after the war in Ukraine and will ban the export of luxury goods to the country. Above all, it is about stopping exports of wine and luxury cars, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. “These sanctions are aimed at President (Vladimir) Putin and his wealthy supporters, not ordinary Russian consumers,” Secretary of State Marise Payne said. “They are being carried out in coordination with key partners to limit Russian elite access to these assets.”
Update as of April 4 at 4:36 pm: The EU wants to send investigative teams to Ukraine to investigate alleged Russian war crimes. As European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced Monday after a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, EU judicial authority Eurojust and law enforcement agency Europol are ready to provide support. In this way, the work of an already agreed joint investigation team could be strengthened. This is to collect evidence and solve war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Von der Leyen was shocked by the atrocities reported in liberated Ukrainian cities like Bucha. “These horrible images should not and will not go unnoticed,” she commented. “The authors of these heinous crimes must not go unpunished.”
With a view to further action, von der Leyen spoke out in favor of a “global response”. According to them, talks are currently under way between Eurojust and the International Criminal Court “to join forces and involve the Criminal Court in the joint investigation team”. This coordinated approach by the Ukrainian authorities, the EU, its Member States and agencies and the International Criminal Court will allow evidence to be collected, analyzed and processed in the most complete and legally effective way possible.
Putin issues next retaliation to West – but Austria brakes with Germany in embargo
Update as of April 4 at 3:50pm: Russian President Vladimir Putin has restricted the simplified visa procedure for citizens of Western European countries. In a decree published on Monday, he suspended the simplified issuance of visas for participants in official delegations and journalists. This applies to issuing single visas as well as multiple visas. The Kremlin justified the move with “hostile actions by the EU and several other countries”. In addition to the European Union states, the regulation applies to Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
After the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, most European countries closed their airspace to Russia. Several Schengen countries, including the Baltic States and the Czech Republic, have also stopped issuing visas to Russians – except in humanitarian cases. However, there is no uniform regulation on the European side.
Update April 4, 2:15 PM: UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet has called for an independent investigation into possible war crimes against civilians in the Ukrainian city of Bucha. “Everything must be done to secure evidence,” the high commissioner said on Monday in Geneva. All bodies must be exhumed, identified and examined. Reports from Bucha and other areas raise “serious and disturbing questions about possible war crimes” and other rights violations, Bachelet said.
“For truth, justice and responsibility, every effort must be made to independently and successfully investigate what happened in Bucha,” said Bachelet. She asked for compensation and reparations for the victims and their families.
Ukraine talks: EU wants to impose new sanctions on Russia after Bucha
Update April 4 at 12:40 pm: After the discovery of hundreds of civilians killed in the Kiev suburb of Bucha, the European Union wants to impose new sanctions on Russia as soon as possible. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell condemned in the strongest possible terms the atrocities allegedly committed by Russian forces in several Ukrainian cities occupied on Monday in Brussels. The EU therefore “will urgently work on new sanctions against Russia,” Borrell said. According to Brussels diplomats, the European Commission intends to present a proposal for more severe sanctions soon.
“The massacres in the city of Bucha and other Ukrainian cities will be added to the list of atrocities committed on European soil,” stressed the EU’s foreign policy chief. In order to hold those responsible to account, the EU is supporting Ukraine in its investigations into possible war crimes, but also the International Criminal Court in The Hague and the United Nations.
Turn to Bucha? Macron now calls for a “complete blockade” of Russia’s energy exports
First report of April 4, 12:10:
Kiev/Brussels – Photos of alleged atrocities in Bucha, a suburb of Kiev, shocked the world’s public. Faced with reports from Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron is calling for new sanctions against Russia – he has also spoken of war crimes. There are “very clear indications of war crimes” in the small town, Macron told France Inter radio on Monday. It was “more or less proven” that the Russian army controlled the area northwest of the capital Kiev at the time in question.
According to Ukrainian authorities, hundreds of dead* civilians were discovered after Russian soldiers withdrew from Bucha. The discovery of the corpse caused outrage around the world. Kiev and several Western countries have accused Russia of “war crimes”.
Ukraine Speaks: “War Crimes” – Macron Calls for “Complete Blockage” of Russia’s Coal and Oil Exports
Macron called for a “new round of sanctions” against Moscow. France will coordinate with its EU partners and especially with Germany in the coming days. Macron has introduced punitive measures against Russia’s coal and oil industries and sanctions against individuals. According to CNN, this week he called for a “total block” of exports to the European Union “We must not let this pass. We have to have sanctions that correspond to what happened there, to what happened in Mariupol”, CNN quoted Macron* referring up to events in Bucha.
“Those behind these crimes must be held accountable,” Macron said. “We must send a very clear signal that it is our collective dignity and our values that we are defending,” the French president said. ‘No justice no peace’ Meanwhile, Moscow denies its blame for atrocities in Bucha.
Pressure on Germany is also mounting according to Butscha’s reports. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) announced new sanctions against Moscow on Sunday. “We will decide on further measures in the circle of allies in the coming days,” he said. (AFP/aka) *Merkur.de is an offering from IPPEN.MEDIA.