The EU is seeking to impose an entry ban on Russians who fought in Ukraine, as part of a new round of sanctions on Moscow over the war, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday.
“We propose for the first time to ban entry into the European Union anyone who has served in the Russian armed forces since the beginning of the war,” von der Leyen said.
In recent months, several rounds of US-sponsored negotiations have failed to bridge the gap between Kyiv and Moscow to reach an agreement, and the process has become increasingly stalled as Washington’s attention shifted to Iran.
Last week, Zelensky proposed a face-to-face meeting with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, but the latter rejected the idea, demanding a final agreement before any meeting.
The Russian government is demanding political and territorial concessions from Ukraine, including a complete withdrawal from the Donetsk region, demands which Kyiv rejects, considering them tantamount to surrender.
On the ground, Russian airstrikes on the Kharkiv region in eastern Ukraine killed four people and injured 15 others, local authorities said on Tuesday.
“The enemy has hit the city of Chuguiv,” Kharkiv regional governor Oleg Synegubov wrote on Telegram, adding that four people, including a 22-year-old woman, were killed.
Russian airstrikes cause casualties almost daily in residential areas of Ukraine, while Kyiv responds with regular strikes on targets in occupied territories, as well as inside Russia. AFP
