EU wants to ban Russian coal purchases and close ports to its ships

The European Commission proposed this Tuesday, 5th, to discuss new sanctions against Russia after the alleged massacre that took place in the city of Bucha, where dozens of bodies were found lying in the streets, some with their hands tied. In response to this atrocity, the 27 member states of the European Union decided to intensify their pressure. Among the new measures being discussed are halting purchases of oil and coal from Russia and closing European ports to Russian-operated ships. “We are working together, France and Germany, to define this new (sanctions) package that will include oil and coal,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le DrianL said alongside his host counterpart Annalena Baerbock. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that “it is clearly necessary to increase the pressure even further” against Moscow. Brussels also proposes increasing existing banking sanctions and banning exports of crucial industrial materials and components to Russia, such as advanced semiconductors, worth 10 billion euros ($11 billion).

Russia denies being involved in the massacre in the city of Bucha and accuses the Ukraine of staging civilian deaths. “Members of the 72nd Ukrainian Psychological Operations Center recorded, on the afternoon of April 4, a new filmed reenactment of civilians allegedly murdered by the violent actions of the Russian army in the city of Moshchun, 23 km northwest of Kiev,” the spokesman said. of the ministry, Igor Konashenkov. On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian Defense Ministry officials found signs of “fakes in the videos” and “fakes” in the footage presented by Ukrainian authorities as evidence of a massacre blamed on Russia. . “Based on what we’ve seen, these video footage cannot be trusted,” Peskov said, before adding that “this information should be seriously questioned.”