EU agreement on sanctions against Moscow, extended for three years. Two Russian oligarchs spared

According to reports from the Ukrainian company Naftogaz, the Russian army bombed the plant and at least five missiles struck technical installations that had been shut down and out of service for some time.

The destruction caused by this impact makes it effectively impossible to restore and operate the power plant.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda announced on X that “the new contingent of US troops is already on its way to Lithuania”. “We are grateful,” he said, “to President Donald Trump and the US administration for this decision.” “The commitment of our allies,” he added, “to support us sends a clear message: NATO is ready to defend every centimetre of its territory.” The exact number of troops in the new rotation “has not yet been confirmed, but it will not be fewer than the previous one”, given that up to 1,000 US soldiers have been stationed in Lithuania on a rotational basis since 2019.

Sanctions against Russia remain “the cornerstone” of European policy aimed at putting pressure on Moscow to end the war in Ukraine: this was stated by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, during a press conference held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly currently taking place in New York, at the same time as a Financial Times investigation revealed money-laundering activities carried out by Moscow through the financial channels of global banks.

Kallas spoke whilst discussions are under way regarding the possibility of lifting some of the restrictive measures imposed on two Russian oligarchs: “Some Member States have called for certain individuals to be removed from the list. We clearly need stability, meaning that the sanctions should remain in place for longer. That is why we are also working on a new package of sanctions.”

Following in the footsteps of France, which has called for the removal of the Russian-Uzbek oligarch Alisher Usmanov, Luxembourg has also urged that the Russian businessman Mikhail Fridman be removed from the list; Kallas highlighted that the discussions concern the renewal of the EU’s “most comprehensive sanctions regime” against Moscow: “Our aim is to conclude them shortly and, hopefully, to renew the sanctions swiftly,” he concluded.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to meet US President Donald Trump today, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. This was reported by a source to AFP, after Washington resumed its diplomatic mediation efforts aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron has already held a lengthy discussion with his US counterpart, Donald Trump, on the ‘need to assist our Ukrainian friends even more swiftly and effectively with regard to interceptor missiles’, which took place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

Macron also alluded to ‘initiatives’ that could be undertaken ‘to bring about a moratorium on energy-related issues’: “It is clear that we must now support Ukraine’s energy system and the situation across the entire region,” he emphasised, without specifying whether such a moratorium would also apply to Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure.

Before the meeting, Macron had promised to speak ‘with absolute frankness’ to Trump in an attempt to ‘steer him towards the right decisions’, particularly with regard to Ukraine; the French side’s aim was, specifically, to try to persuade his US counterpart to “uphold the commitment to support Ukraine” and to “step up the pressure on Russia”.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with the head of the US CIA, John Ratcliffe, at Shannon Airport in Ireland; this was reported to Reuters by two people with knowledge of the matter, as stated on the agency’s website. The meeting took place today, according to one of the sources. The other source reported that the two spoke whilst their planes were being refuelled, though they did not specify the date. Both sources, who asked to remain anonymous given the sensitive nature of the matter, declined to reveal the details of the conversation.

Four people were killed and six others injured in a Russian airstrike on a factory in Dnipro. Oleksandr Ganzha, head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Police Department, provided an update on the casualty figures, as reported by local media. “There may still be people trapped under the rubble of the factory damaged by an enemy attack. Search and rescue operations are under way,” said the rescue workers. The Russian attacks continue, whilst today Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due to meet Donald Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in an attempt to revive diplomatic efforts.

Following a massive Russian attack overnight, further power cuts occurred this morning in seven Ukrainian regions. This was reported by the press office of NPC Ukrenergo. These are the regions of Kyiv, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk. “Where the security situation allows, emergency repair work is already underway. Energy sector technicians are doing everything possible to restore electricity to all consumers as soon as possible”, the report states. Due to heavy rain and strong winds, residents of the Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv and Chernihiv regions are without electricity this morning.

The Western media are completely groundlessly blaming Russia for the appearance of unidentified drones in Europe, thereby engaging in ‘information warfare’. This was stated by the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov. “The issue of Russian drones, which are supposedly appearing here and there in European countries and attacking targets within those countries, has become a fashionable topic in the Western media today. But every time it turns out that either it wasn’t a drone at all, or it was a Ukrainian drone, or it was a drone that could hardly be attributed to the Russian Federation,” said Lavrov, as quoted by TASS. The Russian minister noted that, following clarification, the details of such allegations “no longer interest anyone”. According to Lavrov, this is simply a matter of playing “information games”.

“Only the Russians know for certain where the Ukrainian children are who were in children’s homes in Crimea in 2014 and who subsequently disappeared without trace.” This was stated by one of the lawyers representing the NGO Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union during the hearing which the Strasbourg Court decided to hold on an entirely exceptional basis, and at which Russia has no one to represent it in the dock. The case concerns ten children, born between 2009 and 2013, who, along with nearly 5,000 others, went missing after Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014, and who, according to the NGO, were taken to Russia and put up for adoption or placed with Russian families in order to erase their Ukrainian identity.

The NGO explains that it has spent years trying to trace all the missing children, and that it has managed to trace the 10 children on whose behalf it has lodged an appeal with the ECHR. The lawyers state that the application not only serves to recognise the policy of Russification that Moscow has pursued first in Crimea and then in the rest of the occupied Ukrainian territories, even towards the youngest members of society, but is also intended to ensure that these children one day have the chance to discover who they are and where they come from. The Ukrainian government and other NGOs also spoke at the hearing.

For Kyiv, this case “involves a small number of individuals, but is of great significance”, not least because it provides a concrete insight into what Russia has done and is doing in the territories it has occupied. Meanwhile, other NGOs highlight that when children are put up for adoption, the Russian authorities can change their names and places of birth, and register the adoptive parents as their biological parents. The ECHR must now decide, first of all, whether the case is admissible, and then, if applicable, whether Russia has violated the children’s rights by transferring them to its territory and erasing their identities. One of the questions the Court will have to address is whether the NGO Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union can represent the interests of the 10 children, and therefore lodge an application on their behalf.

“In New York, I paid tribute to the victims of the horrific terrorist attack that took place 25 years ago. A tragedy that had a profound impact on the whole world. Almost 3,000 people lost their lives in the attack. They were citizens of 90 countries, and among them were also our compatriots.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote this on X following his visit to Ground Zero, of which he also posted a video.

‘A cowardly and horrific terrorist attack that has claimed the lives of innocent people. We will never tolerate such cowardice on the part of terrorists. We will always remember those who fight terrorism and those who have fallen victim to it. May all those who have lost their lives rest in peace,” he concluded.

Political agreement has been reached within the EU on the renewal of individual sanctions against individuals, organisations and companies supporting Russia’s war effort. Following lengthy negotiations, the 27 member states appear to have reached a compromise. Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, according to sources close to the matter, are off the new blacklist. Once the written procedure has been completed, at around 6.00 pm, the EU Council is expected to approve the renewal of the sanctions regime to safeguard Ukraine’s territorial integrity for 36 months, until 22 September 2029 (unlike the practice to date, which has been every six months). Latvia, which had previously opposed the measure, has agreed to abstain.

US President Donald Trump has stated that he will invoke the new sanctions legislation against Russia – which gives him the power to impose additional tariffs – should he deem it necessary.

“In honour of Senator Lindsey Graham, I have signed a new and far-reaching law passed by Congress which grants me enormous powers over tariffs; if necessary, I will have to make use of them,” said Trump during his address to the United Nations General Assembly.

On Friday, the US leader signed into law a new piece of legislation authorising and extending restrictions, tariffs and bans against Russia and Iran.

Specifically, the law authorises Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on countries that purchase oil or natural gas from Russian companies.

“The decision to remove Usmanov and Fridman from the list of individuals subject to sanctions is shameful and unjustifiable. Moscow is celebrating because it has got what it wanted: a sense of impunity, the humiliation of the EU and division amongst Europeans”. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote this on X. “But there is still a way to spoil the celebrations in Moscow: I urge all EU Member States to announce immediately that they will impose their own national sanctions against these two individuals.”

“Italia supports multilateralism, but there are issues within the United Nations that need to be addressed, and reform is needed.” Antonio Tajani made these remarks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. “The United Nations must step up its game. Because, as far as the war in Ukraine is concerned, in my view, it has not done enough and has been slow to act,” he added.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

“Europe is working harder than ever to strengthen Ukraine’s defence. Our new anti-ballistic programme can help to rapidly increase production,” said von der Leyen, emphasising that “further defence support is on the way”.

“As reforms progress in the Rada, there will also be greater budgetary support,” continued von der Leyen, adding that “we still have 37 billion euros available for this calendar year”.

“In New York, my message to all leaders is clear: we must all step up our support for Ukraine’s defence,” concluded von der Leyen.

I had an in-depth discussion with Ursula von der Leyen on how to ensure our country’s financial resilience this year and next. We are grateful for the EU’s decision regarding the €90 billion loan, and Ukraine is honouring its commitments under the loan to bridge the budget deficit as much as possible. We have agreed that our teams will also work on other ways to provide financial support.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote this on X following his meeting in New York with the Commission President. “We also discussed sanctions. At a time when Russia is launching brutal attacks against our people – and even now, during the United Nations General Assembly, air raid alerts are in effect in many regions due to drones and ballistic missiles – signals regarding the lifting of sanctions against individual Russian oligarchs are counterproductive and are backfiring. Wars end through determination and strength, not through concessions to the aggressor’s inner circle. I am grateful to Ursula for her willingness to work towards adding further Russian names to the EU’s sanctions lists. It is precisely these steps that bring us closer to a just peace and guaranteed security,” added Zelensky.

“Ukraine will reach an agreement; I cannot tell you what it will be.” Donald Trump said this during his meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky.