Lawmakers urged the EU and its member states to step up efforts to hold Moscow accountable through international courts and support for Ukraine’s campaign to bring its children home.
The Kyiv Independent’s Chris York sat down with author, historian, and Russia’s Victory Day celebrations on May 9, which mark the Soviet Union’s role in defeating Nazi Germany in World War II, are one of the country’s biggest public events of the year. President of the Ukrainian Society of Switzerland Andrej Lushnycky who sheds some light on the things Putin would rather you didn’t know about World War II.
Washington’s involvement may also help mitigate political opposition in Europe, while giving the U.S. strategic visibility over future Russian energy flows, sources told Reuters.
The agreement, signed on April 30, establishes a joint investment fund between Kyiv and Washington and grants the U.S. special access to projects developing Ukraine's natural resources.
U.S. President Joe Biden (3L) meets Russian President Vladimir Putin (3R) for a bilateral meeting in Geneva on June 17, 2021. (The White House/Facebook)
The U.S. and its European allies are preparing a set of ‘significant and severe’ sanctions in the event Russia does invade Ukraine, several media outlets including Politico reported on Dec. 6-7.
Amidst a buildup of nearly 100,000 Russian troops on Ukraine’s borders and in occupied territories, U.S. President Joe Biden is set to talk via video conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Dec. 7 in an attempt to de-escalate tensions.
Citing anonymous sources in the Biden administration, CNN reported that the U.S. is considering a new set of sanctions aimed at crippling the Russian economy.
Barring Russia from the SWIFT international payment system used by banks around the world is the most severe measure currently under consideration. According to CNN's sources, Russia is very reliant on SWIFT and it would be a heavy blow to its economy.
The Russian energy sector and Putin's inner circle are the main potential targets. Probable restrictions would be placed on oligarchs' ability to travel internationally and access U.S. banking and credit card systems.
On Dec. 3, Biden said he was working on making the Russian blitz “difficult” and will not accept the Kremlin’s “red lines” regarding Ukraine. Biden was referring to multiple messages from the Kremlin stating that Ukraine’s membership in NATO would be regarded as crossing “the red line,” to which Russia would respond by taking “active measures.”
It was earlier announced that Biden will consult with European partners before his Dec. 7 call with Putin and will brief President Volodymyr Zelensky after it is complete.
There were rising concerns that crucial talks were being held without involving Ukraine. However, Zelensky announced on Dec. 6 that he had spoken with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and that the two sides had “agreed to act jointly and in coordination.”
Sergiy Slipchenko is a staff writer at the Kyiv Independent. He studied at York University in Toronto, Canada and worked as a reporter at the Kyiv Post.
