UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is “appalled” by the bombing of a school in eastern Ukraine that left about 60 people dead and called for civilians to be spared, his spokesperson has said.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says “evil has returned” to Ukraine after Russia’s invasion in an emotional address on World War II’s Victory Day.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
More than 170 civilians have reached the city of Zaporizhzhia after being evacuated from Mariupol and from the Azovstal steel plant where fighters have vowed to continue to battle until the end.
The United States has imposed new sanctions on Russia, including against three Russian television stations.
G7 leaders held a virtual meeting where they have pledged to reinforce Moscow’s economic isolation and to phase out the group’s dependence on Russian energy.
US first lady Jill Biden has paid a surprise visit to her Ukrainian counterpart Olena Zelenska to mark Mother’s Day. Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also made an unexpected trip to Ukraine where he held a meeting with Zelenskyy.
The United Kingdom says it will provide Ukraine with an additional 1.3 billion British pounds ($1.6bn) in military aid.
UK places fresh sanctions on Russia, Belarus
The UK is placing fresh sanctions on Russia and Belarus, including import tariffs on precious metals and export bans.
The import tariffs, including on platinum and palladium, will target trade worth 1.4 billion pounds ($1.7bn) while export bans worth 250 million pounds ($308m) will target Russia’s manufacturing and heavy industry, the UK’s Department for International Trade said.
“This far-reaching package of sanctions will inflict further damage on the Russian war machine,” Secretary of State for International Trade Anne-Marie Trevelyan said.
The UK has slapped a range of sanctions on Russian companies and individuals since Russia invaded Ukraine with Belarusian help in February.
The UK’s new sanctions bring the total value of products subjected to full or partial import and export sanctions to more than 4 billion pounds ($4.9bn).
Bulgaria says will veto EU oil sanctions on Russia if it does not get derogation
Bulgaria will not support European Union’s new set of sanctions against Russia if the Balkan country does not get a derogation from the proposed ban on buying Russian oil, Deputy Prime Minister Assen Vassilev has said.
EU governments moved closer on Sunday to agreeing to tough sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, but scheduled more talks for Monday to work out how to ensure countries most dependent on Russian energy can cope.
“The talks will continue tomorrow, on Tuesday too, a meeting of the leaders may be needed to conclude them. Our position is very clear. If there be a derogation for some of the countries, we want to get a derogation too,” Vassilev told national BNT television.
Russian strike at school in Ukraine’s east kills about 60: Zelenskyy
Zelenskyy said that about 60 people who were sheltering at a school in the eastern village of Bilohorivka were killed by a Russian bombing.
“As a result of a Russian strike on Bilohorivka in the Luhansk region, about 60 people were killed, civilians, who simply hid at the school, sheltering from shelling,” the Ukrainian leader said in his nightly video address.
