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News > Russia

LIVE: Sanctions Won't Attain Goals, Russia Stable - Embassy

  • Gazprom installations

    Gazprom installations | Photo: Yuri Smityuk/TASS

Published 4 May 2022
Opinion

More anti-Russian sanctions will not help Washington attain its goals as the ruble strengthening proves the stability of Russia’s financial sector and its economy, Russia’ embassy to the United States said on Thursday.

On May 4, while the European Union (EU) continues to study new sanctions against Russia, the Kremlin confirmed that it will continue its special military operation in Ukraine. Below are the main developments of this conflict as they happen.

US sanctions not to attain their goals, Russia’s economy is stable - embassy

More anti-Russian sanctions will not help Washington attain its goals as the ruble strengthening proves the stability of Russia’s financial sector and its economy, Russia’ embassy to the United States said on Thursday.

"We took note of the statements of US officials about possible plans of enhancing sanctions against our country. We recommend the US authorities channel their indefatigable energy to resolve their own problems inside the United States. Local officials admit that the anti-Russian sanctions in the energy sector lead to the instability on the hydrocarbon market and send fuel prices further up," it wrote on its Telegram channel.

"We call on our American colleagues to drop such counterproductive policy. Measures of pressure will not attain their goals," it emphasized. "The continuing strengthening of the ruble prove the stability of Russia’s financial sector and its economy. Russia will attain its goals in the special military operation in Ukraine."

US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that the US administration is open to the idea of extra anti-Russian sanctions. According to Biden, his country will consult its Group of Seven partners on this matter.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in response to a request for help by the heads of the Donbass republics. He stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories, but aimed to demilitarize and denazify the country.

Following this step, the West imposed large-scale anti-Russian sanctions. Some Western politicians admit that it is a literal economic war on Russia. Putin said on March 16 that the West’s sanction policy against Moscow has all the signs of aggression. In his words, the policy of containing Russia is the West’s long-term policy.

Over 300 civilians evacuated from Mariupol and other cities on May 4 - UN

United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine Osnat Lubrani has confirmed that another operation to evacuate civilians from Mariupol and other areas was conducted on May 4.

"A new safe passage operation to evacuate civilians stranded in Mariupol and other communities has been completed today," she said in a press statement. "Once again, our team from the United Nations and colleagues from the International Committee of the Red Cross worked together to bring people who wanted to leave areas experiencing hostilities to safety, with the agreement of the parties to the conflict."

According to Lubrani, more than 300 civilians are receiving humanitarian assistance in Zaporozhye.

"Our work with the parties to guarantee safe passage for civilians will continue," she vowed.

Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister and minister for issues of reintegration on non-controlled territories Irina Vereshchuk said earlier that Ukraine’s authorities on Wednesday evacuated 344 people from Mariupol and several other cities to Zaporozhye.

Meanwhile, Russia’s defense ministry said earlier that more than 120 people had been evacuated from the Azovstal steel works in Mariupol and nearby houses on April 30 and May 1.

Russian troops will open humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians from Azovstal from 08:00am to 18:00 Moscow time on May 5, 6 and 7, Russia’s humanitarian response coordination headquarters said on Wednesday.

Western media issuing lots of false reports about operation in Ukraine daily - diplomat

Western media are producing hundreds of false reports about Russia’s special operation in Ukraine every day, which tells adversely on people all around the world, Fyodor Strzhizhovsky, adviser at Russia’s mission to the United Nations, said on Wednesday.

"In response to the American delegation’s commentary, I would like to stress once again that the biggest ‘factory’ of disinformation and fakes is the West’s media space, and it is the biggest consumer of these fakes as well," he said at a meeting of the UN Committee on Information. "These media sphere produces dozens, hundreds of reports every day, in particular about the special military operation in Ukraine."

"In the long run, it tells adversely not only on Ukrainian and Russian peoples, but on people all around the world," he noted.

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Russia will target North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) vehicles transporting weapons in Ukraine. On Wednesday, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that “any transport from the Atlantic Alliance that arrives in the country with weapons or means for the Ukrainian Armed Forces will be seen by us as a legitimate target.”

He made the remarks at a meeting with Russia's top defense officials, noting the United States and its allies are continuing to supply weapons to Ukraine. Russian troops together with the forces of Lugansk and Donetsk are controlling more areas of Donbass, and they will continue to fulfill their tasks, Shoigu stressed.

Russia's "doomsday plane" appears in V-day parade rehearsal. A Russian Il-80 aircraft, which will serve as a strategic command post in the "doomsday" of a nuclear war, participated in a rehearsal of the upcoming Victory Day parade on Wednesday.

Together with strategic bombers and fighters, the Il-80 escorted by two MiG-29 jets flew over Moscow. Eight MiG-29SMT aircraft flew past the Red Square in a Z-shaped formation in support of the Russian troops participating in the military operation in Ukraine.

Russia holds military parades on May 9 to commemorate the Soviet Union's victory in the Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany. About 11,000 people, 131 types of weapons and military equipment as well as 77 aircraft will participate in the main parade on the Red Square this year marking the 77th anniversary of the victory.

Military parades will be held in 28 Russian cities, involving almost 65,000 people, about 2,400 types of weapons and military equipment as well as more than 460 aircraft.

European Union (EU) determined to ban imports of Russian oil. The European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen said that the EU should gradually phase out all imports of Russian oil by the end of the year as part of a sixth package of sanctions.

She warned the process would not “be easy” as several EU countries are strongly dependent on Russian oil. “But we simply have to work on it. We now propose a ban on Russian oil. This will be a complete import ban on all Russian oil, seaborne and pipeline, crude and refined,” von der Leyen told a plenary meeting at the EU Parliament in Strasbourg.

Iran-Russia arms cooperation has no obstacles. Russian Ambassador to Iran Levan Dzhagaryan said that there are no obstacles to arms cooperation between Tehran and Moscow.

After the UN arms embargoes on Iran were lifted in Oct. 2020, there are no obstacles to the development of arms cooperation between Iran and Russia, Dzhagaryan said, adding Iran purchases weapons from Russia for defense purposes only.

"We are in contact with the Iranians and are moving strongly in line with our international commitments to non-proliferation and export control of weapons," he noted.

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