Russia says it has 'immunity' to US sanctions as Kyiv hit by large-scale attack

SBS Australia

21 hours ago

Russian President Vladimir Putin is defying pressure from the United States to end the war on Ukraine. (Sound of explosions in Kyiv) Russia's latest deadly attack on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv has killed at least 16 people, including two children, and injured 155 others. Rescuers are scrambling through rubble to search for people trapped underneath, following Russia's pre-dawn attack. Twenty-three year-old Veronika was in her bed on the ninth floor of her apartment when the building was struck. "I did not realise what I was doing. I was in shock. I didn't understand what to do, where to go. When I looked at my leg, I panicked even more. I should have evaluated the situation – what was going on. But instead, I panicked." The drone and missile attack has further angered US President Donald Trump, who described Russia's behaviour against Ukraine as "disgusting". "Russia, I think it's disgusting what they're doing. I think it's disgusting. This is Biden's war, it's not my war. But I said, if I get in, I'll try and get the thing stopped. But I think what Russia is doing is very sad. A lot of Russians are dying. You have a lot of Russians. More Russians are dying, but Russians are dying. Ukrainians are dying." The US leader plans to impose sanctions on Russia if no agreement can be reached, despite admitting he's unsure if sanctions would act as a deterrent. Mr Trump has given President Putin until August the 8th to make a deal or else he will respond. "Yeah, we're going to put sanctions. I don't know that sanctions bother him. You know, they know about sanctions. I know better than anybody about sanctions and tariffs and everything else. I don't know if that has any effect, but we're going to do it. Europe is extremely upset, but this is a war that should have never happened." But the Russian government says it can withstand the pressure. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov addressed the deadline following President Trump's announcement on Wednesday, saying Russia has immunity to sanctions already imposed on the country. "We have taken note of President Trump's statement yesterday. The special military operation continues, and we remain committed to the peace process to settle the conflict in Ukraine and ensure our interests during this settlement." This comes as Russia announced it had captured the town of Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine after nearly 16 months of fighting, opening the way for potential further advances. Russian flags were raised on roads and rooftops, while Russia's Defence Ministry said forces had "liberated" the town. Russia's latest attack follows airstrikes on a prison and hospital in southeastern Ukraine earlier this week, that killed at least 19 people. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the attack was deliberate, repeating his plea for global pressure to end the war on Ukraine. "Each such Russian strike, each instance of Russian arrogance in response to global calls to end the war, all of this only confirms that pressure is necessary. More sanctions against Russia are needed, consistent support for Ukraine and our defence of life, and coordinated diplomacy for the sake of peace. I want to thank everyone who is working with us in this way." Kyiv and Moscow have held three rounds of talks in Istanbul this year that yielded exchanges of prisoners and bodies, but no breakthrough to end the more than three-year conflict.
Russia's deputy UN Ambassador, Dmitry Polyanskiy, has told the UN Security Council that Russia intends to continue negotiations in Istanbul, even as he criticised previous diplomacy efforts as "a way of criticising Russia and exerting pressure on it".