The president of the Russian central bank says the effect of the sanctions is unclear
The head of Russia’s central bank says it is impossible to draw conclusions about the impact of Western sanctions at this stage.
“So far, the effects of the sanctions are less acute than we feared. This also shows the adaptability of companies. But it is premature to say that the full effect of the sanctions has been manifested,” said Elvira Nabiullina. President of the Central Bank of Russia said in an information session, in which she also announced the reduction of interest rates to their pre-war levels.
“The situation is uncertain, the situation is developing and the situation of the structural restructuring of our economy, of its capacity for reconstruction, is also a process, so it is premature to draw conclusions here,” he said. dit Nabiullina.
He also said Moscow was preparing a possible legal challenge to EU sanctions against Russia’s central securities depository and measures to freeze the settlement of ruble transactions by its EU-based counterparts. He did not give details, but admitted that this challenge “would not be easy”.
– Associated press
Former President Obama calls for long-term international aid for Ukraine
Former United States President Barack Obama speaks at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit at Skuespilhuset in Copenhagen, Denmark, on June 10, 2022.
Philip Davali | Ritzau Scanpix | via Reuters
Former United States President Barack Obama has urged world leaders to maintain support for Ukraine.
“Our support for Ukraine must remain strong, firm and sustained until this conflict is resolved,” Obama said during a speech at the annual Copenhagen Summit on Democracy, applauding the “historic resistance of the Ukrainian people to ‘Russian aggression’.
“They have come together to defend not only their sovereignty, but their democratic identity, and their actions have brought much of the world together behind the values of self-determination and human dignity,” Obama said.
“Because of the courage and solidarity that is being shown, Vladimir Putin is not achieving his goals within Ukraine and beyond … Meanwhile, Russia is cut off from resources and income, and many of its best and “Brilliant has left, once in his present, but also in his future,” he added.
– Amanda Macias
The UK’s chief of defense meets with Zelenskyy in Kyiv, promises continued support
British Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy shake hands after a meeting as Russia continues its attack on Ukraine in Kyiv, Ukraine on June 10, 2022 .
Presidential Press Service of Ukraine Reuters
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during an unannounced visit to Kyiv.
The UK Defense Ministry says Wallace also held talks with his Ukrainian counterpart, Oleksii Reznikov, during the two-day visit this week.
Wallace told Zelenskyy that “UK support will continue to meet Ukraine’s needs as the conflict enters a different phase.”
Britain has been a major donor of military equipment to Ukraine and recently agreed to send rocket launch systems that could target Russian artillery positions in eastern Ukraine.
Western officials say the conflict is turning into a slow-motion war as Russian forces advance their offensive to capture the industrial heart of eastern Ukaine.
– Associated press
The UN says at least 4,339 people have been killed in Ukraine since the start of the war
People are in the middle of graves recently made in a cemetery during the Ukraine-Russia conflict in the Staryi Krym settlement on the outskirts of Mariupol, Ukraine, on May 22, 2022.
Alexander Ermochenko | Reuters
The United Nations has confirmed 4,339 civilian deaths and 5,246 wounded in Ukraine since Russia invaded its former Soviet Union on February 24.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said the death toll in Ukraine is likely to be higher, as armed conflict could delay reports of fatalities.
The international organization said most of the recorded civilian casualties were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide range of impact, including heavy artillery bombardment and multiple rocket launch systems, as well as missiles. and airstrikes.
– Amanda Macias
Famous chef and humanitarian Jose Andres warns US lawmakers of food crisis in Ukraine
People line up for food donated by the charity World Central Kitchen on May 24, 2022 in Borodianka, Ukraine. As Russia concentrates its attack on the east and south of the country, residents of the Kyiv region are returning to assess the cost of the war to their communities.
Christopher Furlong | Getty Images
Renowned Spanish chef and restaurateur Jose Andres offered U.S. lawmakers an update on the worsening food crisis in Ukraine.
Speaking by video conference to the House National Security Subcommittee, the two-star Michelin chef said Russian ships blocking Ukrainian ports would soon trigger a global crisis of food shortages.
“I have seen how Russia is somehow, very directly, using this war to put more pressure on the world by creating hunger in places we shouldn’t have,” said Andres, who founded World Central Kitchen, a humanitarian organization. dedicated to feeding vulnerable communities.
Andres told lawmakers that so far, his organization has distributed more than 40 million meals to more than 475 nearby cities in and around Ukraine.
“We are working with nearly 500 restaurants, food trucks and catering companies in eight countries,” he said, adding that his organization has established 42 warehouses to operate.
“In addition to hot meals, more than 30,000 bags are distributed a day,” he said.
– Amanda Macias
Pentagon chief Austin warns Chinese counterpart not to help Russia amid war in Ukraine
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin attends a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as Russia continues its attack on Ukraine in Kyiv, Ukraine on April 24, 2022.
Presidential Press Service of Ukraine Reuters
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met with Chinese National Defense Minister Wei Fenghe as Washington repeatedly warned Beijing, the world’s second-largest economy, not to help Russia.
Austin told Wei that “the United States is watching the situation very closely and strongly discouraged China from providing material support to Russia for its war in Ukraine,” a senior U.S. Defense official told reporters at Singapore traveling with the head of the Pentagon.
The two last spoke in April in what was their first known call since Austin was promoted to the Pentagon’s top office.
– Amanda Macias
Russia says British and Moroccans sentenced to death for crimes in Donetsk
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that the two Britons and a Moroccan man sentenced to death on Thursday had committed crimes in the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic.
The three men, Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner and Saaudun Brahim, fought alongside Ukrainian forces and surrendered to Russian forces weeks ago. They have a month to appeal the decision of the pro-Russian rebel court.
“The processes you mentioned are based on the legislation of the [self-proclaimed] Donetsk People’s Republic, because the crimes we are talking about were committed in the territory of the DPR, “Lavrov said of the case.
“Everything else is speculative. I would not like to get involved in the work of the Donetsk People’s Republic’s judicial and law enforcement system,” he added.
The DPR is internationally recognized as part of Ukraine and much of it remains under Ukrainian control.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss described the sentence as “a false sentence with absolutely no legitimacy”.
“Sam Meredith.”
Ukraine: Putin’s statements on invasion show need to discuss “immediate de-imperialization” of Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin gives an interview on the Rossiya-1 television channel in Sochi, Russia, on June 3, 2022.
Mikhail Klimentiev | Sputnik | Reuters
Ukrainian Presidential Adviser Mykhailo Podolyak has responded to Putin’s statements that the Russian leader seemed to be hinting at new invasions and compared himself to Tsar Peter the Great in the 18th century.
Podolyak said via Twitter that Putin’s comments show why it is ineffective to discuss how Russia is “saving face” on its invasion of Ukraine and should instead provoke a discussion about the “immediate de-imperialization” of Russia.
“Sam Meredith.”
“Impossible”: Hungarian Foreign Minister rules out Russian gas ban in next round of EU sanctions
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said: “When we impose sanctions, we must make sure that they do more harm to those against whom we impose sanctions than to ourselves.”
Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto says it is not possible for the European Union to impose a gas embargo on Russia in its next sanctions package.
Speaking to CNBC’s Charlotte Reed on the sidelines of the OECD Ministerial Council meeting in Paris, Szijjarto said: than ourselves. “
“We must have a very clear position on the war, which we do have, we condemn Russia for this military aggression. We are with Ukraine. But we must also take reality into account,” he added.
Szijjarto said that Russia currently supplies 65% of Hungary’s oil demand and 85% of its gas supplies, adding that the lack of available infrastructure means that it is not possible for the landlocked European country to reduce. rapidly its dependence on Russian hydrocarbons.
The EU agreed late last month to impose a partial embargo on Russian crude with the aim of stopping President Vladimir Putin’s war machine. The reduced agreement covers Russian oil introduced into the block by sea, with an exemption for imports delivered by pipeline.
Szijjarto spoke of his frustration that Hungary had presented itself as a country reluctant to punish Russia’s war in Ukraine after the country opposed the total ban on Russian oil.
When asked about the prospects for the EU …