Today, Wednesday, the United States announced a new wave of financial sanctions, which it described as devastating, targeting major banks and members of the Russian elite, including the two daughters of President Vladimir Putin. It also banned Americans from investing in Russia.

A senior US official told reporters that the new sanctions included a complete ban on Sberbank, which owns a third of all banking assets in Russia, and Alpha Bank.

He pointed out that oil and gas transactions are exempt from these sanctions.

US President Joe Biden has linked the new sanctions against Russia to what the West says are atrocities committed by Russian forces in the Ukrainian city of Bucha.

On the other hand, the Russian President - during a phone call with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban today - accused the Ukrainian authorities of being behind the "blatant provocations" in the city of Bucha, where the bodies of civilians were discovered after the withdrawal of Russian forces.

The Kremlin issued a statement saying that President Putin briefed Orban on "the situation regarding the talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations and also gave his initial assessment of the blatant provocations of the Kyiv regime in the city of Bucha," in the first reaction of the Russian president to the issue, which has sparked Western discontent.

On the ground, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said - in an interview with "NBC" - that the Russians withdrew from Kyiv and retreated in the north and west, and are strengthening their forces to the east in Donbass.

The island has monitored the Russian army sending reinforcements across the border, as dozens of vehicles and tanks are heading from the Russian Belgorod region towards the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, which is about 50 km from the Russian border.

Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned that Putin has not given up his desire to control all of Ukraine, suggesting that the war will last months or even years.

Here are the latest developments on the 43rd day of this war:

35 minutes ago

The US House of Representatives passes the bill on accountability and deterrence of war crimes in Ukraine.

two hours ago

The Telegraph on the British Foreign Secretary:

  • Russia is not retreating in Ukraine but is regrouping.

  • Russian troops leave the area around Kiev only to push hard in the east and south.

  • We need to redouble our support for Ukraine to beat Putin and restore its sovereignty.

  • We are working to ensure that Ukraine is in the strongest possible position at the negotiating table.

3 hours ago

Ukrainian President:

  • The package of sanctions imposed on Russia is not enough and more measures must be taken.

  • If countries do not stop importing Russian oil, the Russian war on our country will not stop.

  • The world must confront the genocide perpetrated by the Russian forces in our country.

3 hours ago

The Times newspaper from British government sources: Russian forces could be broken if the West provided enough weapons to Ukraine.