In view of the events in the Kiev suburb of Bucha in the Ukraine war, Macron is calling for tougher sanctions. News ticker on negotiations.
- The alleged Russian atrocities from the Kiev suburb of Bucha in the Ukraine war * shock the world community (see first report).
- After the body was found in Bucha, the EU wants to quickly impose new sanctions on Russia (Update April 4, 12:40 p.m.).
- Russia denies the blame and speaks of a Western conspiracy (Update from April 4, 1:50 p.m.).
- This News ticker on negotiations between Ukraine* and Russia* and diplomatic efforts is continuously updated. More background information on the Ukraine conflict* here.
Update from April 4th, 3:50 p.m.: 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 issuing of visas for participants in official delegations and journalists. This applies to both the issue of single visas and multiple visas. The Kremlin justified the move with “unfriendly actions by the EU and a number of other countries”. In addition to states of the European Union, the regulation applies to Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, 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.
Ukraine negotiations: Austria rejects energy embargo against Russia
Update from April 4, 2:50 p.m.: Even after revelations of serious acts of violence in the Ukrainian Bucha Austria rejects an immediate embargo on Russian energy – together with Germany. Austria stands 100 percent with Germany on the issue, Finance Minister Magnus Brunner said before a meeting of the Eurogroup on Monday. Sanctions only make sense if they don’t hit you any more than the person who is to be hit. You have to keep a cool head, especially with a gas embargo, said Brunner. The German Economics Minister Robert Habeck also spoke out against an immediate energy embargo.
Brunner said Austria, like Germany, is heavily dependent on Russian gas. The medium-term goal is to become more independent. “But it would be unrealistic to say that we could switch overnight.” Instead, he suggested expanding the list of sanctioned individuals and organizations.
Update from April 4, 2:15 p.m.: 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 should be done to secure evidence,” said the High Commissioner on Monday in Geneva. All bodies should 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 accountability, every effort must be made to independently and successfully investigate what happened in Bucha,” Bachelet said. She called for compensation and reparations for the victims and their families.
Ukraine war: Russia rejects guilt in Bucha and refers to USA
Update from April 4, 1:50 p.m.: Russia continues to deny responsibility for the many murdered civilians in the Kiev suburb of Bucha. Instead, the Kremlin refers to the USA and claims that they and the western partners “ordered” the pictures. “Who are the masters of provocation? The United States and NATO, of course,” Kremlin spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Russian state television, according to Reuters.
She is said to have referred to a Western conspiracy against Russia: “The fact that this information was provided in the first few minutes after the material surfaced leaves no doubt as to who ordered this story,” said the spokeswoman. Moscow had previously declared the gruesome footage from Bucha as “further staged provocation by the regime in Kyiv.”
Ukraine negotiations: EU wants to impose new sanctions on Russia after Bucha
April 4 update at 12:40 p.m: After the discovery of hundreds of dead civilians in the Kiev suburb of Bucha, the European Union wants to impose new sanctions on Russia as quickly as possible. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell condemned in the strongest possible terms the atrocities reportedly committed by Russian forces in a number of occupied Ukrainian cities on Monday in Brussels. The EU will therefore “urgently work on further sanctions against Russia,” Borrell said. According to Brussels diplomats, the EU Commission intends to make a proposal for stricter penalties shortly.
“The massacres in the city of Bucha and other Ukrainian cities will be added to the list of atrocities committed on European soil,” emphasized the EU 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 UN.
Turn to Bucha? Macron is now calling for a “complete blockade” of Russia’s energy exports
First report from April 4, 12:10 p.m.:
Kyiv/Brussels – The photos of alleged atrocities in Bucha, a suburb of Kyiv, have shocked the world public. In view of the reports from Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron is calling for new sanctions against Russia – he also spoke of war crimes. There are “very clear indications of war crimes” in the small town, Macron told radio station France Inter on Monday. It was “more or less proven” that the Russian army controlled the area north-west of the capital Kyiv at the time in question.
According to the Ukrainian authorities, hundreds of dead civilians* were discovered after the Russian soldiers withdrew from Bucha. The discovery of the corpse caused outrage around the world. Kyiv and several western countries accused Russia of “war crimes”.
Ukraine talks: “War crimes” – Macron calls for “complete blockade” 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 brought up punitive measures against Russia’s coal and oil industries and sanctions against individuals. According to CNN, this week he called for a “total blockade” of exports to the European Union “We must not let this go through. We have to have sanctions that correspond to what happened there, what happened in Mariupol,” CNN quoted Macron* referring to the 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,” said the French President. “Without justice there is no peace” Meanwhile, Moscow denies its guilt for the atrocities in Bucha.
The pressure on Germany is also increasing according to the reports from Butscha. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) announced further sanctions against Moscow on Sunday. “We will decide on further measures in the circle of allies in the next few days,” he said. (AFP/aka) *Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
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