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WORLD NEWS Saturday 4 February 2023

EU prepares more Russia sanctions; Kremlin readies offensive

By SUSIE BLANN hospitalized with unspeci-
Associated Press fied injuries.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The Also, six people were
European Union will unveil wounded and 18 apart-
its 10th package of sanc- ment buildings, two hos-
tions against Russia on Feb. pitals and a school were
24 to mark the anniversary damaged in a Russian at-
of Moscow’s full-scale inva- tack in the eastern city of
sion of Ukraine, a senior of- Kramatorsk on Thursday,
ficial from the bloc said in Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko told
Kyiv on Friday, as Ukrainian Ukrainian TV. Three people
forces gird for an expect- died when a Russian missile
ed Russian offensive in the hit an apartment building in
coming weeks. that city on Wednesday.
The sanctions will target European officials were
technology used by Rus- adamant about continuing
sia’s war machine, among to support Ukraine militar-
other things, European ily and economically, but
Commission President Ur- they didn’t provide any
sula von der Leyen told a new details about Ukraine’s
news conference. accession path to the EU.
The sanctions will take aim Zelenskyy said that
in particular at compo- Ukraine’s goal “is to start
nents used in the manufac- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, European Commission President Ursula von der negotiations this year.”
turing of drones, she said, Leyen, right, and European Council President Charles Michel address a media conference after But the process will likely
naming Iran as a key sup- the EU-Ukraine summit in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 3, 2023. take years and require the
plier of Russia. Associated Press adoption of far-reaching
Closing loopholes that the can take weeks. bolic visit is also the first EU Ukrainian authorities report- reforms, including a clamp-
Kremlin uses to circumvent Top EU officials met with political mission of its kind to ed Friday that at least six down on endemic corrup-
sanctions will also be a Ukrainian President Volody- a country at war. civilians were killed and 20 tion as the country receives
priority, according to Von myr Zelenskyy in a show of The high-level meeting others were wounded over billions of dollars in aid. Kyiv
der Leyen, who was on her support for the country as came as a 60-year-old the previous 24 hours. formally submitted its appli-
fourth visit to the Ukrainian it battles to counter the man was killed and six oth- Among the dead were two cation last June.
capital since the war be- Kremlin’s forces and strives ers were wounded Friday brothers, ages 49 and 42, Zelenskyy said that progress
gan. to join the EU as well as after Russian missiles hit killed when Russian shelling had been made to further
The exact measures in the NATO. central Toretsk, a town in destroyed an apartment economically integrate the
next EU sanctions pack- The last such summit was Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk building in the northeastern Ukraine into the EU across

age must be agreed upon held in Kyiv in October 2021 region, the local prosecu- Kharkiv region, Ukraine’s several sectors, including
by the bloc’s 27 member a few months before the tor’s office said in a state- presidential office said. agriculture, industry, ener-
countries a process that war started. The highly sym- ment on Facebook. Their 70-year-old father was gy and customs.q

NATO urges Russia to respect nuclear pact with the U.S.

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO Treaty,” NATO ambassa- the forum in which the two coronavirus in March 2020. from exercising important
called Friday on Russia to dors said in a statement. sides could consult, NATO The U.S. State Department rights under the treaty and
respect the only treaty it The 30-nation U.S.-led mili- said. warned Tuesday that “Rus- threatens the viability of
has with the United States tary alliance supports the President Vladimir Putin has sia’s refusal to facilitate U.S.-Russian nuclear arms
aimed at keeping a lid on treaty and believes that it repeatedly ramped up his inspection activities pre- control.”q
nuclear weapons expan- helps to limit the expansion nuclear rhetoric since he vents the United States
sion and urged Moscow of nuclear forces. ordered Russian troops into
to allow on-the-ground in- The envoys said that Rus- Ukraine almost a year ago,
spections of military sites to sia’s refusal to hold consul- raising concern among
resume. tations or to allow U.S. in- Western allies and the pub-
The so-called New START spections since last August lic over whether he might
Treaty was signed by Rus- “prevents the United States actually use such weapons.
sia and the U.S. in 2010. It from exercising important The U.S.-Russia committee
caps at 1,550 the number rights under the Treaty, formed under the treaty
of long-range nuclear war- and undermines the United last met in October 2021,
heads they can deploy States’ ability to adequate- but Russia unilaterally sus-
and limits the use of mis- ly verify Russian compli- pended its cooperation
siles that can carry atomic ance with the Treaty’s cen- with the pact’s inspection
weapons. It allows short- tral limits.” provisions in August 2022
notice inspections of each “We call on Russia to fulfil its to protest U.S. support for
other’s nuclear bases and obligations under the Trea- Ukraine.
support facilities. ty by facilitating New START Inspections of U.S. and Rus-
“We note with concern that inspections on Russian ter- sian military sites under the President Barack Obama, left, and Russian President Dmitry
Russia has failed to comply ritory, and by returning to New START treaty were Medvedev sign the New START treaty at the Prague Castle in
with legally-binding obliga- participation in the Treaty’s paused by both sides be- Prague on April 8, 2010.
tions under the New START implementation body,” cause of the spread of the Associated Press