US President Joe Biden has officially labelled Vladimir Putin a criminal of war.
Russia this week threatened to cut all ties with the US as a result of what it referred to as a “breach” of its relations with Washington and the White House. Russian officials furthermore summoned the US ambassador in Moscow for a protest over the accusation made by President Joe Biden.
President Biden on Monday held talks with the leaders of Italy, Germany, and France in a renewed effort to maintain a united front to Moscow.
According to an announcement by the Russian foreign ministry, US ambassador John Sullivan had been summoned for a special meeting over Biden’s statements about Putin. The ministry added that such remarks put Russian American relations in jeopardy.
Russia Guilty Of Slaughter
US state department spokesperson Ned Price on Monday described the Kremlin’s criticism of the language used by Biden as rich and ironic, given Russia’s current engagement in what he described as “mass slaughter”.
Price said Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine is a war largely wagered against a civilian population.
Also accusing Russia of war crimes in the Ukraine have been Ireland, Norway, France, the UK, and Albania. What’s more, a war crimes investigation has now been launched by a prosecutor at the international criminal court.
But while several countries have been calling on more extreme sanctions and measures, including in embargo on oil, Germany has expressed fears over the possibility of fuel shortages and even mass joblessness over energy bans. Germany remains heavily dependent on Russian energy, with 55% all natural gas originating from Russia.
Oil Russia’s Biggest Revenue
Germany’s foreign minister, Annalena Baerbrock declined to say exactly what could activate sanctions on Russia’s energy sector. She did however say that the time has come for a global community that believes in international order to “isolate” Russian leadership.
According to many other EU leaders, however, including Lithuanian foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, the conversation around the energy sector, and especially oil, has now become unavoidable. With oil forming the biggest part of Russia’s budget in terms of revenue, it becomes significant to acknowledge that Russian oil is replaceable, and easily so, for the EU, said Landsbergis.
Currently, the EU imports 27% of its oil from Russia, and has to date not yet joined most of the west in its embargo. This is a huge amount, and equal to the win apuestas deportivas Chile offers.
Zelenskyy Asks For No Trade
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday called on all of Europe to stop all trade with Russia with immediate effect. Zelenskyy called on the Western world to deny Russia any further energy and other resources in a push for the country to withdraw its military forces from the Ukraine.
According to a response by EU foreign policy chief Joseph Borrell, further sanctions will remain on the negotiations table for the bloc. He also went on to condemn Russia’s outright attack on civilians living in Mariupol. Borrell referred to the attack on Mariupol as a war crime and political scandal of epic proportions.
It has now been three and a half weeks since Russia first invaded the Ukraine, with many diplomats fearing the notion of “sanctions fatigue”.
