For a faster end to the war
Zelenskyj urges pressure on sanctions
4/23/2023 3:23 am
Western countries have imposed a whole range of sanctions on Russia. However, Moscow still finds ways to circumvent them. The Ukrainian President is appealing to allies to enforce the punitive measures.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for tougher sanctions and enforcement of existing sanctions against Russia during the war. “The tougher the sanctions against Russia and against the entire Russian war economy, the faster the war will end,” he said in his evening video message. Russia, on the other hand, repeatedly emphasizes that the sanctions are ineffective. They neither ended the war nor destroyed the economy of the resource superpower.
Zelenskyj once again complained that Russia was circumventing the existing sanctions imposed by the West. It is a central task internationally to end this circumvention of the punitive measures imposed in the course of the war. Russia, for example, imports many goods via parallel imports and third countries. In addition, despite the blockades by the West, the country continues to earn billions from oil and gas exports and is thus keeping its war economy running.
Zelenskyi announced that he had signed new sanctions decrees to harm Russia and, in particular, the military-industrial complex. How exactly, the President did not say in the evening. Zelenskyy says he sees progress in Ukraine’s efforts to impose sanctions on Russia’s nuclear industry. An alliance of Western countries, including the USA, Great Britain and Japan, is now committed to removing the “terror state” Russia from the world market for nuclear energy.
Thanks for strengthening the anti-aircraft defenses
Zelenskyj again accused Russia of abusing nuclear power as a weapon, like all forms of energy. Specifically, the head of state referred to the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, which was occupied by Russian troops and used by Moscow for nuclear blackmail. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, had just warned of the danger of a nuclear accident due to the increasing hostilities near the nuclear power plant.
In his video, Zelenskyy once again thanked individual states, including Germany, for military assistance, including strengthening Ukraine’s air defense against Russian attacks. The toughest battles are currently taking place in the Donetsk region, including in the city of Bakhmut, which Zelenskyy highlighted. “It’s the most intense there,” he said. The Russian Defense Ministry and Wagner’s private army have been reporting for days that they have already taken more than 80 percent of the city, which once had a population of 70,000. Bachmut is largely destroyed by the battle with the most losses so far in this war, which has been going on for 14 months.