US President Joe Biden announced on the 8th
The United States will impose an energy embargo on Russia
Stop importing oil, gas and coal from Russia
Russian President Putin signed the decree on the 8th
Support is given to citizens and businesses under sanctions
What are the new developments in the situation in Ukraine?
Let's take a look
1
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a presidential decree on the 8th to take special measures in the field of foreign economic activities, requiring that the import and export of certain types of food and raw materials be banned before December 31 this year. The list of relevant food and raw materials will be determined by the Russian government. Earlier in the day, Putin also signed a law containing a package of socio-economic measures to support citizens and businesses under the sanctions.
2
The Russian army began at 10 o'clock Moscow time on the 9th
Start Quiet Mode again
The Russian Defense Ministry said on the 8th that the Russian army has activated the "quiet mode" again since 10 o'clock Moscow time on the 9th to ensure the humanitarian corridor for the evacuation of civilians from Kiev, Chernihiv, Samui, Kharkov and Mariupol. The Russian Ministry of Defense believes that there should be continuous contacts between Russia and Ukraine on the issue of the evacuation of civilians.
Mizintev, head of the Russian National Defense Command Center, said on the 8th that in the past day, the Russian side has withdrawn more than 5,000 people from the Donbass region and other dangerous areas without the participation of the Ukrainian side. In addition, more than 2 million Ukrainians and foreigners have made evacuation requests to the Russian side. He said Ukrainian nationalists used brutal means to prevent people from retreating to Russia through humanitarian corridors.
3
Spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry:
In a Ukrainian laboratory close to the Russian border
He has conducted research and development of biological weapons components
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zakharova said on the 8th that the research and development of biological weapons components had been carried out in the Ukrainian laboratory close to the Russian border, and the traces of the military biological program implemented by the Ukrainian side under the emergency clearance of the US funding have been confirmed. Zakharova said that Russia is in favor of resuming work on the development of a legally binding verification protocol to the Biological Weapons Convention.
4
The president of Ukraine said
Ready for dialogue with the Russian side
The Ukrainian presidential website released a message on the 8th that Ukrainian President Zelenskiy said in an interview with the ABC that Ukraine is ready to hold dialogue with russia on issues such as collective security guarantees, the "future" of the Donbass region and Crimea.
"I have spoken many times about NATO and have publicly sent a message to Presidents Russia and Putin that we are ready to accept assurances from the relevant countries that must ensure our national security." Russia is also among those countries because Russia is our neighbor. Zelenskiy said.
In the future, Ukraine must sign collective security agreements with all its neighbors, including Russia, as well as the United States, France, Germany and other countries, Zelenskiy said.
5
Ukraine said two humanitarian corridors had been opened
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshuk said on the 8th that the two humanitarian corridors were opened on the same day, and civilians in the northeastern city of Samui and the southeastern port city of Mariupol could be evacuated.
The Russian side has previously proposed a temporary ceasefire from 10 o'clock Moscow time on the 8th (7 o'clock GMT on the 8th) and the opening of humanitarian corridors in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, Kharkiv, the second largest city, the northern cities of Chernigov, Mariupol and Samui for the evacuation of civilians.
According to the route drawn by the Russian side, civilians evacuated from Kiev, Kharkov and Chernigov can be evacuated to Russia and Belarus, and civilians leaving from Mariupol and Samui can be evacuated to Zaporizhia and Poltava in Russia or two other Ukrainian cities.
Sumy is about 50 km from the Ukrainian-Russian border. Vereshyk said both Sides agreed to evacuate civilians who had left From Samui to Poltava. The first convoy departed at 10:00 local time.
The Ukrainian news agency released a video showing people carrying luggage in buses. The video caption reads: "Samui City Green Channel, the first phase of evacuation began. ”
According to the Russian Satellite News Agency, officials in Samui State, where Samui City is located, said on social media that the second convoy is expected to depart at 11:00 GMT on the 8th, and people can also take their own transportation to leave.
Dmitry Lunin, governor of Poltava, where Poltava city is located, said 35 buses drove from Poltava into Samui to help evacuate people. A further 20 tons of humanitarian supplies arrived in Sumy.
In a video address later on the 8th, Vreshyk announced that the humanitarian corridor from Mariupol to Zaporizhia was opened and that a shipment of humanitarian supplies had been transported from Zaporizhia into Mariupol.
Kirilo Tymoshenko, an assistant to the Ukrainian president, released a video showing several red cross-marked buses that he said were used to carry civilians from Mariupol to Zaporizhia. Since the 5th, Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly announced the opening of humanitarian corridors for the people of Mariupol, but then accused each other of sabotaging the ceasefire and obstructing the opening of humanitarian corridors.
According to the Russian Satellite News Agency, the Russian Defense Ministry said later on the 8th that of the 10 withdrawal routes proposed by Russia to the Ukrainian side, the Ukrainian side only confirmed a passage from Sumy to Poltava to the Polish border. On this route, 723 people have been evacuated so far, the vast majority of whom are foreigners. However, the Ukrainian side continues to refuse to open all evacuation routes to Russia.
6
Direct Hit:
The village of Lviv is about 60 km away
Most shopping malls, restaurants, etc. are closed
The reporter set off from Lviv and drove all the way east, on the road to Kiev. In the village about 60 kilometers from Lviv, the reporter learned that local farmers are still planting crops and helping to resettle people who have been evacuated from other areas to the local area.
In addition to supermarkets, banks and pharmacies, most shopping malls, restaurants, museums, etc. in Lviv are closed. The reporter saw that a children's product store is still open, and some parents are taking their children to select children's books. The clerk told reporters that in order to allow the children to buy toys and school supplies, they chose to continue to operate.
7
The United States will impose an energy embargo on Russia
US President Biden announced on the 8th that the United States will impose an energy embargo on Russia and stop importing oil, gas and coal from Russia. In a speech at the White House on the same day, he said that the energy embargo on Russia will lead to a continuous rise in domestic gasoline prices in the United States and increase the cost of living of the American people. Biden warned U.S. oil and gas companies not to take advantage of price gouging. The chairman of the Russian State Duma (the lower house of parliament), Volodin, said in a social media post that the United States extended sanctions against Russia to the energy embargo with the intention of seizing the European market, and the losses caused by this practice will be paid by European companies and people.
The British government announced on the 8th that it will stop importing oil and petroleum products from Russia before the end of the year. The Elysee Palace, the French presidential palace, told the media on the same day that France will not immediately stop importing Russian natural gas, hoping to gradually get rid of its dependence on Russian oil and gas in the long run. Earlier in the day, the European Union announced it would reduce its natural gas imports from Russia by two-thirds this year.
8
The Russian-Ukrainian conflict has exacerbated the plight of the German automotive industry
Due to the shortage of chips, German car production has not yet returned to pre-COVID-19 levels, and the recent outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict has brought new challenges to the German auto industry. The Conflict Between Russia and Ukraine has led to tight supply of parts and raw materials for automobile production, and several German automakers have recently announced production cuts or even production suspensions.
Volkswagen AG's plant in Zwickau, in eastern Germany, which is Volkswagen's largest electric vehicle plant, recently announced the suspension of production. A Volkswagen Group spokesperson said that the main reason for the suspension of production was the delay in the supply of parts in Ukraine, especially the lack of wiring harnesses for cars produced in Ukraine. The Porsche AG plant in Leipzig, Germany, a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, was also shut down on The 2nd.
A Volkswagen brand car dealership in Berlin, Germany, on May 7, 2020. (Xinhua News Agency, photo by Zhang Ping)
BMW spokesman said on the 3rd that due to the lack of automotive wiring harnesses, from the 7th, the factory in Dingolfin in southern Germany will suspend production, and the Regensburg plant will also begin to reduce production shifts due to the lack of chips.
Mercedes-Benz, a subsidiary of the Daimler Group, will adjust the production plan of its European plants from 7 July to avoid complete shutdown. The company said it was working with suppliers to find alternatives to auto parts made in Ukraine.
According to the Ukrainian Investment Promotion Agency, there are currently 38 factories set up by foreign companies in Ukraine to produce auto parts.
German auto parts supplier Leoni has two automotive wiring harness plants in western Ukraine, but production has been interrupted given the situation in Ukraine. Japan's Sumitomo Electric Industries co., Ltd. has also stopped working at its automotive wiring harness plant in Ukraine. U.S. auto parts giant Aptiv also announced that it will transfer all production capacity at its Ukrainian plant in the coming months.
The Russian-Ukrainian conflict also threatens the German auto industry with a shortage of raw materials. The Confederation of German Industries said that raw materials for automobile manufacturing will fall into shortages in the medium term and will lead to higher car prices.
Two pedestrians wearing masks pass by a Mercedes-Benz car dealership in Berlin, the capital of Germany, on May 7, 2020. (Xinhua News Agency, photo by Zhang Ping)
Peter Adrian, head of the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said car deliveries would be delayed due to a lack of palladium from Russia. Palladium is the raw material necessary for the production of catalysts, and about 20% of the palladium imported from Germany comes from Russia.
The German Automotive Confederation expects that the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is likely to affect the supply of inert gas neon, thereby affecting semiconductor production in Europe, which in turn will lead to serious disruption to automobile production.
Neon is an important raw material for the manufacture of chips. Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics, said russia and Ukraine together account for 70 percent of the world's neon production.
Stefan Bratzel, an analyst at the German Automotive Management Center, an automotive market research institute, said that due to rising energy and mineral oil prices, the cost of car production and use in Germany and even Europe will rise in the next few years.
9
A number of Middle Eastern countries have called for it in recent days
The situation in Russia and Ukraine has been degraded
A number of Middle Eastern countries have recently called for a downgrade of the situation in Russia and Ukraine. Arab League Secretary-General Gheit called on both sides to exercise restraint and support a dialogue and diplomatic solution to the crisis.
On social media platforms, while paying attention to the situation in Russia and Ukraine, some people in the Middle East also expressed dissatisfaction with the "double standards" exposed by the United States and other Western countries in the situation in Ukraine. They believe that the United States and other Western countries have either ignored or fueled the frequent conflicts in the Middle East, and have always avoided taking responsibility for the refugee problems caused by years of conflict and turmoil in the Middle East, but they have shown different positions in the situation in Ukraine.
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Source: Xinhuanet WeChat public account
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