live blog
Status: 07/15/2022 05:10 a.m
Ukrainian President Zelenskyj is calling for Russia to be officially classified as a “terror state”. The UN and EU have expressed their horror at the Russian attack on the city of Vinnytsia. All developments in the live blog.
5:10 a.m
Yellen condemns Russian officials for supporting Putin
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen condemned Russia’s “brutal and unjust war” at the opening session of the G20 finance ministers and central bankers meeting in Bali. The Russian tax officials are partly responsible for the “terrible consequences” of the war. US Treasury chief urges G20 members to increase and accelerate financial support to Ukraine. Ukrainian Finance Minister Sergii Marchenko attended the opening session.
4:50 a.m
Brussels: EU sanctions hit Russian economy
According to data that has been kept secret so far, the EU sanctions imposed on Russia are taking effect. As experts from the EU Commission confirmed to the German Press Agency, targeted trade restrictions are now affecting Russian export transactions, which had a volume of more than 73 billion euros a year before the war. In percentage terms, it is about 48 percent of Russia’s previous exports to the EU.
In addition, within around four months, Russian assets worth around 13.8 billion euros were frozen – for example by oligarchs and other supporters of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin. Reserves of the Russian central bank worth billions can also no longer be accessed. “The available data shows very clearly that the sanctions are working,” said a senior EU official. Despite the relatively short period of time so far, relevant effects on the Russian economy have already been achieved.
In addition, the effects would become even stronger over time. Specifically, the EU assumes that Russia’s economic output will shrink by 10.4 percent this year. For comparison: Economic growth of 2.7 percent is still expected for European companies this year in the EU, despite the consequences of sanctions and war.
4:43 a.m
UN and EU appalled by Russian attacks on Vinnytsia
The UN and the EU have strongly condemned Russian rocket attacks on civilian facilities in the central Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia, which killed at least 23 people. UN Secretary-General António Guterres was “appalled,” his spokesman said. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell spoke of an “act of cruelty”.
4:43 a.m
Lauterbach: Former Chancellor Schröder has “no more place in the SPD”
Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach has spoken out in favor of expelling former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder from the SPD. Referring to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the Social Democrat said in the “Spiegel”: “This is an absolutely criminal action by Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, that an attitude like that of Gerhard Schröder is unforgivable.” This means that Schröder “actually no longer has a place in the SPD”. The behavior of the former Chancellor is damaging to the party. “I would just be happy if he could forestall the exclusion,” Lauterbach continued.
4:43 a.m
Selenskyj wants to classify Russia as a “terror state”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of aiming rockets at civilians. The world community should therefore classify Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, demanded Zelenskyj in his video message. “No other country in the world poses such a terrorist threat as Russia. No other country in the world allows itself to use cruise missiles and rocket artillery on a daily basis to destroy cities and the lives of ordinary people.”
Zelenskyy was referring to recent attacks on the Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia that left at least 23 dead and more than 100 wounded, for which Ukrainian authorities blamed Russian troops. Zelenskyj classifies the attacks as an “open act of terrorism” against the civilian population in areas without any military significance. Russia initially did not officially confirm the attacks.