The EU foreign ministers want to decide today on a training mission for Ukrainian troops. The US announces sanctions against a network that helps Russia acquire military technology. All developments in the live blog.
4:52 a.m
EU training mission to be decided
At a meeting in Brussels today, the EU foreign ministers want to decide on the start of a training mission for Ukrainian armed forces. The plans drawn up over the past few weeks envisage that around 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers will initially be trained in Germany, Poland and other EU countries. In this way, the EU wants to help ensure that the Ukrainian troops can defend themselves even better than before against the attackers from Russia.
As part of the EU mission, the Bundeswehr is planning combat training for companies and tactical exercises for a brigade staff and the subordinate battalion staffs. In addition, there will be training for trainers, medical training and weapon system training in close cooperation with industry.
A brigade with up to 5,000 Ukrainian soldiers could be trained in Germany in the coming months.
4:26 a.m
New US sanctions
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has announced new US sanctions against a network of individuals and companies involved in procuring military technology for Russia. “This is part of our larger effort to disrupt Russia’s war effort and deny it (Vladimir Putin) the equipment it needs through sanctions and export controls,” she said.
14 people and 28 companies are targeted by the sanctions, including financial intermediaries. The measures are to be officially announced today.
3:26 a.m
Again protests in Moldova
In Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, thousands have demonstrated over a winter energy crisis and high inflation. They blamed the government for the situation, called for new elections and the resignation of pro-Western President Maia Sandu. The former Soviet republic, a country neighboring Ukraine with around 2.6 million inhabitants, had recently taken a very western-oriented path.
There have been repeated anti-government protests over the past two months. They were initiated by a populist party led by the oligarch Ilan Shor, currently living in exile in Israel. He is said to be involved in a bank robbery. He is also on a US sanctions list, which believes he is serving Russian interests by attempting to create political unrest in Moldova. He wants to undermine the country’s efforts to join the EU. On Thursday, the government applied to the constitutional court to have his party banned.
The country’s anti-corruption public prosecutor’s office is also investigating the financing of the protests, some of which are said to be fed by Russian sources. Moldova is dependent on Russia for natural gas – deliveries to Moldova have recently been halved.