- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said “evil has returned” to Ukraine following Russia’s invasion of World War II Victory Day.
- Zelenski says 300 civilians have been evacuated from the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, but fighters at the plant have vowed to continue fighting to the end.
- At least 60 people are missing and fear they died in the rubble of a burned-out school hit by a Russian airstrike in the village of Bilogorovka in the eastern Luhansk region, local authorities said.
- The United States has imposed new sanctions on Russia, including against three Russian television stations, while G7 leaders have vowed to tighten Moscow’s economic isolation.
- The United Kingdom says it will provide an additional £ 1.3 billion ($ 1.6 billion) in military aid to Ukraine.
- G7 leaders will hold virtual meetings with Zelenski later Sunday.
Here are all the latest updates:
1 hour ago (17:21 GMT)
The United States is imposing visa restrictions on Russian naval officers targeting the naval sector
The US State Department has announced a number of visa bans and new visa restrictions for more than 2,500 Russian servicemen and Russian-backed forces in Ukraine, according to the agency.
He also said he had identified eight Russian shipping companies and added 69 ships to the US Treasury Department’s sanctions list.
1 hour ago (17:00 GMT)
Russia says it is hitting US-supplied weapons in Ukraine
Russia claims to have destroyed weapons and military equipment provided to Ukraine by the United States and other unspecified Western countries.
Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for Russia’s Defense Ministry, said “high-precision air-launched missiles by the Russian Air Force” had hit targets near the town of Soledar, TASS reported.
2 hours ago (16:51 GMT)
G7 leaders promise further economic isolation for Russia
Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) said in a joint statement that they would increase Russia’s economic isolation and “raise” a campaign against Russian elites who support President Vladimir Putin.
After meeting virtually with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, leaders said they would suspend key services on which Russia depends, strengthening Russia’s isolation “in all sectors of its economy.”
They also pledged to phase out dependence on Russian energy, including by banning Russian oil imports. “We will continue and raise our campaign against financial elites and family members who support President Putin in his military efforts and squander the resources of the Russian people,” the statement said.
Overview of the video screen of G7 leaders during a video conference on Ukraine at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France [Thibault Camus/Reuters]
2 hours ago (16:14 GMT)
Russian shells hit Lisichansk oil refinery, damage production areas: Local authorities
Russian shells hit the Lisichansk oil refinery in eastern Ukraine, damaging production facilities, the Luhansk Oblast governor said.
Sergei Haidai, writing on his channel in the Telegram, said the strike was one of a series of recent attacks and had damaged facilities, including areas where crude oil was produced and mixed with other elements of the refining process. Haidai said the constant artillery fire prevented fire brigades from working.
2 hours ago (16:03 GMT)
The United States is imposing new sanctions on Russia
The United States has uncovered sanctions against three Russian television stations, banned Americans from providing accounting and consulting services to Russians, and sanctioned Gazprom executives to punish Moscow for invading Ukraine.
The move comes when US President Joe Biden met virtually with G7 leaders and Ukrainian President Zelensky.
“This is not a complete block. We do not freeze Gazprombank’s assets and do not prohibit any transactions with Gazprombank, “a senior Biden administration official told reporters. “What we are signaling is that Gazprombank is not a safe haven and that is why we are sanctioning some of their top business managers … to create a chilling effect.
Eight executives of Sberbank, which holds a third of Russia’s banking assets, have been added to the sanctions list. The Moscow Industrial Bank and its 10 subsidiaries were also added.
3 hours ago (15:52 GMT)
A senior US diplomat returns to the embassy in Kyiv
US senior diplomat in Ukraine Christina Quien and her team have arrived in Kyiv, a senior US State Department official said, as a final step towards resuming a full US presence in the Ukrainian capital.
Videos posted on social media show a motorcade moving in the embassy building.
The team’s visit was scheduled to mark World War II Victory Day in Europe, the official said. Russia celebrates the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945 on its Victory Day on Monday.
3 hours ago (15:42 GMT)
The EU is moving towards oil sanctions against Russia, there is still no deal
European Union governments have approached an agreement on tough sanctions against Russia, including a ban on buying Russian oil, but have scheduled more talks Monday to work out how to ensure that countries most dependent on Russian energy can cope.
Diplomats from the 27-nation bloc meet daily to discuss details of the sixth package of sanctions against Moscow since the European Commission announced proposals on May 4th.
“The Council (of the EU governments) is united on the need to adopt the 6th package of sanctions,” said a statement from the French EU presidency and the Commission. “Significant progress has been made on most measures.”
The question is how to ensure oil supplies to Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic without landlocks, which depend heavily on Russian crude oil supplied through Soviet-era pipelines and face the challenge of securing alternative sources.
3 hours ago (15:27 GMT)
Zelenski, head of the German parliament, is discussing weapons and EU membership
In a video of a meeting with German Parliament Speaker Baerbel Bass, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said securing the Bundestag’s approval for a supply of heavy weapons to help Ukraine repel Russian attacks was one of his country’s “top priorities”.
He also asked Bass and the Bundestag or parliament to support Ukraine in its bid for EU membership, which Kyiv’s allies said they wanted soon. However, the candidacy must be agreed unanimously, and accession usually takes years of complex negotiations.
3 hours ago (15:07 GMT)
Pelosi is urging the US Congress to approve $ 33 billion in aid by the end of May
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told CBS on Sunday that Congress must pass a bill by the end of the month that would give Ukraine $ 33 billion in military and humanitarian aid.
4 hours ago (14:55 GMT)
Bono from U2 performs in the Kiev metro
The frontman of the Irish rock band U2 Bono and his colleague The Edge gave a 40-minute concert at a metro station in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.
The frontman of the rock band U2 Bono sings during a performance for Ukrainians in a metro station, while the Russian attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine [Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters]
“Your president is leading the world to the cause of freedom right now… The people of Ukraine are not just fighting for your own freedom, you are fighting for all of us who love freedom,” Bono told a crowd of up to 100 people gathered inside Khreshchatyk metro station. .
Bono gave a 40-minute concert at the Khreshchatyk metro station in Kyiv [Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters]
4 hours ago (14:48 GMT)
Ukrainian and US diplomats discuss food security
Ukrainian top diplomat Dmytro Kuleba discussed with US counterpart Anthony Blinken “ways to unblock Ukraine’s food exports and ensure global food security,” he said on Twitter.
Kuleba also said that “severe US sanctions are coming against Russia”.
On Remembrance and Reconciliation Day, Victory Day in Europe, @SecBlinken and I coordinated steps to bring Ukraine’s Victory Day closer together. New tough US sanctions against Russia are coming. Ways to unblock food exports from Ukraine and ensure global food security were discussed.
– Dmitry Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) May 8, 2022
Ukraine, one of the world’s largest producers of grain and oilseeds, has exported most of its grain through its Black Sea ports, which have been blocked by Russia since the start of the war.
4 hours ago (14:39 GMT)
The Prime Minister of Canada visited Irpen
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Irpen, a key suburb of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, which was temporarily occupied by Russian forces, the mayor said.
“He saw the burned and completely destroyed not military facilities, but the homes of Irpin residents, who until recently enjoyed life and had their own plans for the future,” Alexander Markushin said on social media next to photos showing him and the Canadian minister entering. the city.
“We are here to show our support for Ukraine and its people,” Trudeau later said on Twitter.
Today I am in Ukraine with @cafreeland and @melaniejoly. We are here to show our support for Ukraine and its people. Our message to President @ZelenskyyUa and the Ukrainians is this: Canada will always stand side by side with Ukraine. Even during our visit.
– Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) May 8, 2022
5 hours ago (13:56 GMT)
The Russian Deputy Prime Minister is visiting Mariupol
Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Marat Husnulin said he had visited, among others, the Ukrainian city of Mariupol. Husnulin is the highest-ranking Russian official to enter Ukraine since the start of the war.
“The restoration of peaceful life is beginning in the regions. Lots of work to do. We will help, in particular, that large-scale work is needed to provide humanitarian aid! ”He told his Telegram channel.
After relentless bombing for nearly two months, Russia took victory over the port …
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