Tuesday, March 26

EU proposes Russian oil ban


Considered a refuge from war, Lviv area hit by Russian missiles

A Ukraine official said Wednesday that Russian bombers hit three electrical substations in the Lviv region.

Lviv, near the border with Poland in the western part of Ukraine, has generally been insulated from the war, though missile strikes in April killed seven people.

Maksym Kozytskyi, head of the Lviv Regional State Administration, said in a Telegram post that there were no casualties, though two people were injured. He added that the substation attack has hurt the area’s train system, which has been crucial for the country’s supply chains.

EU proposes ban on Russian oil

The European Union’s top official called on Wednesday for a ban on oil imports from Russia, a move that has been the subject of much debate since the war in Ukraine began.

In an address the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that Russian crude oil would be phased out within six months and refined products by the end of the year “in a way that allows us and our partners to secure alternative supply routes and minimizes the impact on global markets.”

The proposal, which was included in a larger sanction package, needs to be approved by the 27-member bloc to take effect. Europe is heavily reliant on Russian imports for its energy supply, and Russian oil and gas has continued to flow into Europe despite the bloc’s support for Ukraine in the war.

EU proposes further sanctions on Russia, including on military officers responsible in Bucha and Mariupol

The European Union presented a further set of sanctions on Russia, including restrictions on high-ranking military officers in command during the occupations of Bucha and Mariupol, the bloc’s top official announced Wednesday morning.

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“This sends another important signal to all perpetrators of the Kremlin’s war: We know who you are, and you will be held accountable,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in an address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France.

Von der Leyen also proposed a block on Russia’s largest bank’s access to the SWIFT banking system, along with two other banks, as well as a ban on Russia’s three state-owned broadcasters.

The sanctions announcements were included with the EU’s proposal for a ban on oil imports from Russia. Europe’s dependence on Russian energy has been a subject of hot debate since the invasion of Ukraine.

Russia likely intends to try to capture two new eastern cities, UK says

Russia’s military has been deploying troops and “highly likely” intends to try to capture the eastern Ukrainian cities of Kramatorsk and Severodonetsk, the British defense ministry said Wednesday.

Both cities are in the Donbas region, which has been the target of Russia’s new offensive. Russian battle groups have been deployed near Izyum to support an attempted advance, the UK said in the daily intelligence update.

Although it has struggled, taking Kramatorsk and Severodonetsk would allow Moscow to consolidate its control in the region and try and cut off Ukrainian forces, the UK said.

Hundreds of Ukrainians await entry to US in Mexico City

MEXICO CITY — Hundreds of Ukrainian refugees are camping out in Mexico City and waiting for the US government to allow them into the country.

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About 500 evacuees were waiting Tuesday in large tents under a searing sun on a dusty field on the east side of Mexico’s sprawling capital. The camp has been open only a week and from 50 to 100 people are arriving every day.

Some refugees have already been to the US border in Tijuana where they were told they would no longer be admitted. Others arrived at airports in Mexico City or Cancun.

Giorgi Mikaberidze, 19, arrived in Tijuana April 25 and found the US border closed. He went from being just yards from the United States to some 600 miles away in the Mexico City area. He said he traveled to Mexico alone.

“It’s very difficult to wait. We don’t know how the program will work,” he said.


www.nbcnews.com

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