Russia says latest UK sanctions ‘illegitimate'
Russia's embassy in London said Britain's new package of sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine was 'illegitimate' and many of those targeted had no connection to the conflict.
Britain on Monday announced what it said was its largest package of sanctions against Russia since the early days of the war in Ukraine, including companies worldwide that supply components used by the Russian military.
The Russian embassy called the measures 'futile' in a statement posted on Facebook said on Tuesday.
'The moment chosen by London to whip up the sanctions hysteria is quite symbolic — at a delicate time when the foundations of the future Ukraine settlement process are being shaped in line with the Russia-US agreements,' the statement said.
Britain's sanctions package, timed to mark the third anniversary of the Russian invasion, also targeted North Korea's defense minister No Kwang Chol over the deployment of North Korean forces in Russia, and Kyrgyzstan-based Keremet Bank.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Asharq Al-Awsat
2 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Netanyahu Says Significant Progress Made in Talks to Release Hostages
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that there had been "significant progress" in efforts to secure the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza, but that it was "too soon" to raise hopes that a deal would be reached. Despite efforts by the United States, Egypt and Qatar to restore a ceasefire in Gaza, neither Israel nor Hamas has shown willingness to back down on core demands, with each side blaming the other for the failure to reach a deal. Netanyahu, who has come under pressure from within his right-wing coalition to continue the war and block humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, said in a video statement shared by his office that there had been progress, without providing details. A source familiar with the negotiations said that Washington had been giving Hamas more assurances, in the form of steps that would lead to an end to the war, but said it was US officials who were optimistic, not Israeli ones. The source said there was pressure from Washington to have a deal done as soon as possible. The White House National Security Council and representatives for US envoy Steve Witkoff, who is leading US efforts in the ceasefire talks, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Neither did Hamas representatives. Israel's leadership has said that it would wage war until the remaining 55 hostages held in Gaza are freed and when Hamas, whose October 2023 attack sparked the war, has been dismantled. Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, has said it would no longer govern after the war if a Palestinian, non-partisan technocratic committee took over, but it has refused to disarm. The US has proposed a 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Israel said it would abide by the terms, but Hamas has sought amendments. The group has said that it would release all hostages in exchange for a permanent end to the war. The war in Gaza has raged since Hamas-led gunmen killed 1,200 people in Israel in the October 2023 attack and took 251 hostages back to the enclave, according to Israeli tallies. Israel responded with a military campaign that has killed over 54,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.
Al Arabiya
2 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Israel's Netanyahu says significant progress made in talks to release hostages
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that there had been 'significant progress' in efforts to secure the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza, but that it was 'too soon' to raise hopes that a deal would be reached. Despite efforts by the United States, Egypt and Qatar to restore a ceasefire in Gaza, neither Israel nor Hamas has shown willingness to back down on core demands, with each side blaming the other for the failure to reach a deal. Netanyahu, who has come under pressure from within his right-wing coalition to continue the war and block humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, said in a video statement shared by his office that there had been progress, without providing details. A source familiar with the negotiations said that Washington had been giving Hamas more assurances, in the form of steps that would lead to an end to the war, but said it was US officials who were optimistic, not Israeli ones. The source said there was pressure from Washington to have a deal done as soon as possible. The White House National Security Council and representatives for US envoy Steve Witkoff, who is leading US efforts in the ceasefire talks, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Neither did Hamas representatives. Israel's leadership has said that it would wage war until the remaining 55 hostages held in Gaza are freed and when Hamas, whose October 2023 attack sparked the war, has been dismantled. Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, has said it would no longer govern after the war if a Palestinian, non-partisan technocratic committee took over, but it has refused to disarm. The US has proposed a 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Israel said it would abide by the terms but Hamas has sought amendments. The militants have said that they would release all hostages in exchange for a permanent end to the war. The war in Gaza has raged since Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people in Israel in the October 2023 attack and took 251 hostages back to the enclave, according to Israeli tallies. Israel responded with a military campaign that has killed over 54,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.
Asharq Al-Awsat
2 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Goodbye Lenin? Russians Flock to See Bolshevik Leader's Tomb Before It Closes for Repairs
Russians are flocking to catch what some fear could be a final glimpse of the embalmed body of Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin before his tomb on Moscow's Red Square, long a place of pilgrimage for communists, closes for repairs until 2027. The mausoleum, which houses a waxy-looking Lenin replete in a three-piece suit inside what is purportedly a bullet-proof, blast-proof glass case, is due to be structurally overhauled after an inspection uncovered problems. Once a popular attraction for Western tourists and still a favorite for Russians visiting the capital from the regions, the red and black granite structure is expected to close in the coming weeks, with repair work set to last until June 2027. Officials say that the body of Lenin, who died in 1924 after helping to establish the world's first socialist state, is not going anywhere and that the central hall where he lies in state will not be touched. But news of the temporary closure has seen long lines form to get into the mausoleum, with some visitors fearing it could be their last chance to see Lenin. "From a historical point of view, I want to witness his being in a mausoleum because I think Lenin will be buried at some point, maybe in the future or near future," said Tatyana Tolstik, a historian from Ulyanovsk, the city on the Volga where Lenin was born. A young woman called Snezhana, who did not give her surname, said she wanted to "dive into the past" because she was also unsure how long it would be possible to visit the mausoleum. The Communist Party, which ruled the country from the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, is fiercely opposed to the removal of Lenin's body, and Gennady Zyuganov, the party's veteran leader, has said President Vladimir Putin has assured him it will not happen on his watch. The Kremlin has repeatedly denied plans to permanently close the mausoleum. Standing in line, Olga Pavlova, from the town of Mirny, said today's generation of Russians had a lot to thank Lenin for. "I am on holiday and decided to show (the mausoleum) to my son and see it for myself," she said. "He (Lenin) is someone who changed our life in a very good way. Due to him, we have all the benefits that we have today. (For example,) education, healthcare, and comfortable houses."
