US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announced that a new package of sanctions on Russia will target countries and companies that facilitate the supply of military equipment to Moscow.
“We continue to take action against Russian sanctions evasion and, as early as next week, we will introduce strong new sanctions against those who facilitate the Kremlin’s war machine, including intermediaries in third countries who supply Russia with essential materials for its armed forces. “, said Yellen.
Yellen was speaking on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB), which bring together leaders from around the world in Washington.
These restrictions are part of new measures taken by Washington in recent months to prevent Russian armed forces from accessing technology and weapons for the war in Ukraine, which began in February 2022.
Even so, this Tuesday Zelensky spoke again about the approximately 12,000 North Korean soldiers who will fight alongside the Russian Federation in the ongoing war in Ukraine. In a video published on his social media pages, Zelensky stressed that “human life is not valued” in the Moscow and Pyongyang regimes and asked all allies for collaboration towards the common goal of ending the war, which has expanded with the large-scale military invasion launched by Russia on February 24, 2022.
“If North Korea can intervene in a war in Europe, it is clear that not enough pressure has been put on that regime. If Russia can continue to expand and widen this war, then everyone who is not helping to force Russia to accept peace are, in fact, helping Putin fight this war,” he said.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis argued that NATO should consider the idea of the French PresidentEmmanuel Macron, send troops to Ukrainefollowing the alleged recruitment of North Korean soldiers to the Russian side.
“If the information is confirmed that Russia’s death squads are equipped with North Korean ammunition and personnel, we will have to think about sending troops and other Macron ideas,” said the head of Lithuanian diplomacy in statements to Politico.
Landsbergis regretted that once again the Ukraine’s partners are late in responding to support Kievbut is confident that together they will be able to “take all necessary measures to transform President Macron’s ideas into actions.”
North Korean leader’s sister accuses Ukraine and South Korea of ”U.S. naughty dogs”
Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accused Ukraine and South Korea of ”provoking” the country, calling them “naughty dogs of the United States.”
“A military provocation against a nuclear-armed state could lead to a horrible situation, unimaginable for politicians and military experts of any large or small country in the world,” Kim Yo Jong said, according to state news agency KCNA.
Accusing Kiev and Seoul of making “reckless comments about states with nuclear weapons”, the official argued that this appears to be “a common characteristic of naughty dogs in the United States”.
The leader’s sister also reported that the North Korean secret services are investigating the use of ‘drones’ against North Korea and accused Seoul of propagandistic measures against Pyongyang.
“No one knows how our retaliation and revenge will be concluded,” he said.
Other news that marked the day:
⇒ The United Kingdom announced that it will contribute £2.26 billion (€2.71 billion) to a global G7 loan to Ukraine of $50 billion (more than €45 billion). This sum “represents the United Kingdom’s contribution” to this loan program that will be “granted to Ukraine for its military, budgetary and reconstruction needs”, the British government said in a statement.
⇒ The European Parliament gave the ‘green light’ to a extraordinary loan of up to 35 billion euros to Ukraine, which will have to be repaid with proceeds from Russia’s frozen assets, in the face of the Russian invasion of the country. The endorsement was given at the plenary session of the European Parliament, in the French city of Strasbourg, in which MEPs approved with 518 votes in favour, 56 votes against and 61 abstentions the new macro-financial assistance to Ukraine against the Russian invasion.
⇒ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared that the possibility of starting peace negotiations with Russia will depend on the outcome of the presidential elections in the United Statesscheduled for November 5th. “In my opinion, (the negotiations) depend, in the first place, on the elections in the United States”, Kiev’s main ally against Russia, said Zelensky during a meeting with a group of journalists, including from the AFP news agency, in Monday.
⇒ European Union diplomats said they trust that the Secretary-General of the United Nations will, in a meeting with the Russian president scheduled for Thursday, call on Russia to leave Ukraine “totally and unconditionally” and cease hostilities. “We are confident that the UN Secretary General, in Kazan (Russian city that hosts the BRICS summit), will reinforce the call for Russia to withdraw completely and unconditionally from Ukraine, followed by a cessation of hostilities, as already expressed in several resolutions” of the United Nations, the European Union’s spokesperson for Foreign Affairs, Peter Stano, reacted in statements to Lusa.
⇒ Prosecutor General of Ukraine Andrei Kostin submitted his resignation after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested it due to the high number of false discharges to obtain social benefits and exemption from military service. Kostin acknowledged that there were “many shameful events” within the Public Prosecutor’s Office itself and therefore agreed with Zelensky that it is necessary not only to annul cases in which fraud was committed, but also to hold the perpetrators accountable.
Source: expresso.pt
