The minister indicates that the member states will discuss with a view to the fastest possible approval of the package.
In April, Latvia proposed, in the 14th round of EU sanctions, to supplement the ban on the export and transit of raw materials with manganese ore and aluminum oxide – raw materials that could be used in military production in Russia. Representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) stated that Latvia considers EU-level solutions to be the most effective tool to limit the flow of goods, which could help Russia’s ability in the war against Ukraine.
After the beginning of Russia’s repeated invasion of Ukraine, the supplies of manganese ore needed for the weapons industry to Russia increased dramatically. Although the country has small manganese reserves, their extraction is not developed at an industrial level, so Russia relies almost entirely on manganese imports. Preliminary data show that in 2023, Russia imported two million tons of manganese ore, which is a record amount. Manganese ore is used in the production of high-quality steel required for gun barrels, armored vehicles and tracks for such vehicles.
According to the information available to “Postimees” newspaper, out of two million manganese ore exported to Russia last year, almost 90% was transhipped in Estonia and Latvia. Most of such cargoes are transhipped in the ports of Riga and Ventspils, but since last year, manganese ore has also been unloaded and stored in Sillame port before the trains go to Russia with it.
The Latvian state railway company “LDz Logistika” is one of several Latvian companies that participated in the transportation of manganese ore to Russia. Already in 2018, the company started accepting ships carrying manganese ore from Africa. With the beginning of the repeated invasion of Russia, the volume of such cargoes increased dramatically. Due to demand, the price of manganese has risen from US$150 before the war to US$300-350 per ton.
LETA has already reported that the EU plans to apply the 14th round of sanctions to Russia for its repeated invasion of Ukraine, a high-ranking EU official previously stated. The sanctions – an asset freeze in the EU – will target individuals and organizations that help circumvent EU sanctions already imposed on Russia, the official said.
Sanctions will hit oil tankers transporting Russian oil, despite existing sanctions aimed at preventing this, an EU diplomat revealed.
It was also reported that the 13th package of sanctions against Russia was adopted in February, when it was two years since Russia’s repeated invasion of Ukraine. These sanctions targeted 106 individuals and 88 entities, including individuals involved in North Korea’s arms supply to Russia and North Korea’s defense minister.
Russia has been subject to several rounds of EU sanctions targeting various economic sectors linked to the war.
Russia has been banned from importing oil, coal, steel, gold and luxury goods, as well as sanctions against banks and other financial institutions. Trade restrictions on so-called “dual-use goods” that can be used in the development of Russia’s defense industry are also certain.
After Moscow’s repeated invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the European Union, the United States, Japan and Canada froze the assets of the Russian central bank in the amount of approximately 300 billion US dollars. About 200 billion dollars of these funds are located in European financial institutions, mainly in the Belgian clearing house “Euroclear”. In Washington and Europe, there are increasingly calls to create a fund to help Ukraine using frozen assets.
(The source of information clarifies the title and the 1st paragraph.)
The new package of sanctions against Russia will also include a ban on the supply of manganese ore /
NBC News: US and European officials discuss peace talks with Ukraine, sources say
– 2024-05-04 01:17:46
/ world today news/ US and European officials have begun quietly discussing with the Ukrainian government the possible consequences of peace talks with Russia to end the war, according to a current senior US official and a former senior US official familiar with the discussions.
The talks included a lot of general information about what Ukraine might have to give up to reach a deal, officials said. Some of the talks, which officials described as sensitive, took place last month during a meeting of representatives of more than 50 countries supporting Ukraine, including NATO members, known as the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, the officials said.
The discussions are an acknowledgment of the dynamics militarily in Ukraine and politically in the United States and Europe, officials said.
They come amid concerns among US and European officials that the war is at a stalemate and that they will not be able to continue providing aid to Ukraine, the officials said. Biden administration officials are also concerned that Ukraine is running out of steam, while supplies from Russia appear endless, the officials said. Ukraine is also struggling to recruit soldiers and has recently seen public protests against some of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s demands for indefinite military service.
The U.S. government is concerned about how much less public attention the war in Ukraine has received since the war between Israel and Hamas began nearly a month ago, officials said. They fear the change could make it harder for Kiev to secure additional aid.
Some U.S. military officials have privately begun using the term “stalemate” to describe the current battle in Ukraine, with some saying it may come down to which country can sustain military force longer. Neither side has made much progress on the battlefield, which some U.S. officials are now calling a “war of inches.” Officials have also said privately that Ukraine likely has only until the end of the year or soon after before more urgent discussions on peace talks begin. U.S. officials have shared their views on such a schedule with European allies, the officials said.
President Joe Biden is paying close attention to Ukraine’s shrinking military, according to two people familiar with the matter.
“People are the main concern of the administration right now,” said one. The United States and its allies can provide Ukraine with weapons, he said, “but if they don’t have the competent forces to use them, it’s no use.”
The Biden administration has given no indication that Russian President Vladimir Putin is willing to negotiate with Ukraine, the two U.S. officials said. Western officials say Putin still believes he can “wait out the West” or continue the fight until the U.S. and its allies lose domestic support for financing Ukraine or until the fight to supply Kiev with weapons and ammunition becomes too expensive. officials say.
Both Ukraine and Russia are struggling to increase military supplies. Russia has increased production of artillery shells and will be able to produce 2 million shells a year in the next few years, the Western official said. However, he said, Russia fired about 10 million projectiles into Ukraine last year, so it will have to rely on other countries as well.
The Biden administration has spent $43.9 billion on security assistance to Ukraine since February 2022, according to the Pentagon. The U.S. official says the administration has about $5 billion to send to Ukraine before the money runs out. There would be no aid for Ukraine if the administration had not said it had discovered a $6.2 billion accounting error due to the inflated cost of equipment sent to Kiev.
Progress on Ukraine’s counteroffensive has been very slow, and hope that Ukraine will make significant gains, including reaching the coast, is fading. The lack of significant progress on the battlefield in Ukraine is not helping efforts to reverse a trend of declining public support for sending more aid, officials say.
Translation: V. Sergeev
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Mauritania cancels customs increases on Moroccan imports, to the approval of Moroccan exporters.
Agadir 24 | Agadir24
The Mauritanian authorities decided to cancel the decision to impose customs increases on goods, materials and products coming from Morocco, after they had previously intended to raise them with the justification of encouraging the competitiveness of local products.
The Mauritanian customs decision to cancel increases on the import of Moroccan goods, vegetables and fruits was met with great satisfaction and welcome by Mauritanian importers as well as Moroccan exporters alike.
The cancellation decision will come into effect starting Wednesday, May 1, after the end of the period specified by the Mauritanian decree, according to which the authorities approved increases in customs tariffs imposed on some products of Moroccan origin, by more than 100 percent.
Mauritania’s previous decision had contributed to the decrease in Moroccan exports to African markets through the largest land border point in the Kingdom in terms of commercial activity towards West Africa by more than half, after a number of Moroccan exporters preferred to change the route of their goods to other foreign markets in order to avoid the losses they incurred due to… Raising the value of customs taxes in Mauritania.
It is noteworthy that Mohamed Salem Ould Salem Ould Marzouk, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Mauritanians Abroad, previously stated that there is a constant search for the interests of the two countries and the two peoples and attention to their aspirations, stressing that “all matters will find a solution within the framework of this permanent coordination between the two countries, especially some of the currently outstanding issues.” Regarding the passage of trucks on the border, a solution must be found, and we will find a solution within the framework of coordination between the two brotherly countries.”
On the other hand, Moroccan exporters praised the decision of the Mauritanian authorities and praised it as it will increase the strong historical ties between the two brotherly countries and will certainly contribute to strengthening the economic and commercial ties between neighboring Morocco and Mauritania.
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2024-05-04 01:48:50
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Mauritania cancels customs increases on Moroccan imports, to the approval of Moroccan exporters.