[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] Amid ongoing international outrage over the large-scale civilian massacre by Russian forces, the Joe Biden administration in the United States, together with the Group of Seven (G7) and the European Union (EU), will unveil a new package of sanctions against Russia on the 6th (local time). The core of these sanctions is to further strengthen Russia's economic, financial, and technological isolation.
On the 5th (local time), CNN cited a Biden administration official reporting that the new sanctions package will ban all new investments in Russia and strengthen sanctions against Russian financial institutions and state-owned enterprises. Additionally, Russian government officials and their families will also be included in the sanctions.
The official emphasized, "These measures will inflict severe and immediate economic damage on Russia," adding, "We will hold the Russian dictatorship accountable for funding Vladimir Putin's war." Earlier, major foreign media reported the possibility of secondary sanctions on countries continuing trade with Russia, as well as sanctions targeting Russian minerals, transportation, and financial sectors.
The West, including the United States, has concluded that Russia committed war crimes in Ukraine. Following the discovery of hundreds of civilians shot dead in Bucha, a city north of Kyiv, the horrific acts of the Russian military have sparked global outrage. The official stated, "The Bucha incident provides additional evidence of war crimes," and added, "As President Biden said, we will ensure full accountability for this."
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also strongly criticized the actions, saying to reporters just before heading to Brussels, Belgium, to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and G7 foreign ministers' meetings, "What we saw in Bucha was not random acts by rogue units," but "deliberate military actions involving killing, torture, rape, and atrocities."
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky compared the Russian military to the Islamic extremist terrorist group Islamic State (IS) and called for Russia's expulsion from the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
President Zelensky delivered a live video speech at the UNSC meeting that day, reporting on the "Bucha massacre," where more than 300 civilians are known to have been killed. He said, "This is the most horrific war crime committed in Ukraine since World War II," and raised his voice, saying, "We are dealing with a country that uses the Security Council veto as a right to kill. They must be expelled from the permanent membership so they cannot block decisions on their aggression."
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