Moscow accuses America and NATO of being involved in the war with their support for Kyiv
Europe is considering forcing Russia to pay the cost of rebuilding Ukraine
Delegates at the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting in Lodz, Poland.
À A.F.B
Yesterday, the European Union announced that it would study, with its partners in the Organization for Security and Economic Cooperation in Europe, “all legal possibilities” that would force Russia to “pay the price for the destruction of Ukraine.”
While the European Parliament called on Chinese President Xi Jinping to put pressure on Russia, Moscow accused the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) of participating in the Ukraine war, because of the support they provide to Kiev.
In detail, European Union Foreign Minister Josep Borrell announced yesterday that he would study with his partners in the Organization for Security and Economic Cooperation in Europe, whose meeting was opened in Lodz, Poland, "all the legal possibilities" that would force Russia to pay the price for the destruction of Ukraine.
"We have confiscated about 20 billion euros from rich people close to power, people who support Russia, and we control about 300 billion of the financial resources of the Russian Central Bank," Borrell said.
He stressed at the ministerial meeting of the organization that "these funds should be used for the reconstruction of Ukraine."
Borrell condemned the Russian war on Ukraine, considering it a violation of international law and the principles of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
He said, "Russia brought war to Europe, undermined the United Nations Charter, and failed to live up to its international obligations."
He announced a proposal to "provide support for the idea of an international criminal tribunal for Russian war crimes in Ukraine," stressing that "it must be discussed and approved first by the member states of the European Union, and then by the United Nations."
In Beijing, European Council President Charles Michel said yesterday that he had urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to use his influence to pressure Russia to respect the United Nations Charter with regard to Ukraine.
For his part, the Chinese president, in his talks with the President of the European Council, called for efforts to calm the war in Ukraine.
"It is in the interest of Europe and the common interest of all countries in the Asian and European regions to resolve the Ukraine crisis through political means," according to Bloomberg News.
In Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said yesterday that the United States and NATO are participating in the Ukraine war, because of the support they provide to Kiev.
Lavrov said, in a press conference, that Washington and NATO are involved in the war, because they supply Ukraine with weapons and provide it with military training on its soil.
Lavrov pointed out that there are major problems that have accumulated in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and accused the West of rejecting the opportunity to turn it into a real bridge to communicate with Russia after the Cold War.
Lavrov also accused NATO of stoking tensions near China, in a way that poses risks for Russia.
On the other hand, the Kremlin yesterday denounced calls by the European Union to establish a war crimes court over Russia's actions in Ukraine, saying that any such entity would be considered illegitimate and unacceptable by Moscow.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday that the European Union would try to set up a special court backed by the United Nations to investigate and prosecute possible war crimes by Russian forces in Ukraine.
On the ground, the Ukrainian aircraft launched 17 attacks, the day before yesterday, on the areas of concentration of Russian military personnel, weapons and equipment, in addition to four attacks on sites of anti-aircraft missile systems, according to what was announced by the Ukrainian Armed Forces Staff.
Russia said yesterday that the German parliament's move to recognize the 1932-1933 famine in Ukraine as genocide imposed by the former Soviet Union was an anti-Russian provocation.
In a move welcomed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, German lawmakers passed a resolution on Wednesday recognizing that the starvation of millions of Ukrainians, in what is known as the "Holodomor", is genocide.
In Geneva, the United Nations launched an appeal yesterday to raise a record amount of money for the year 2023 in the face of growing humanitarian needs, especially due to the war in Ukraine, and the effects of climate change, such as the risks of famine in Africa.
UN humanitarian agencies will need $51.5 billion next year, with needs rising by 25 percent.
These funds will finance its programs to help 230 million of the most vulnerable people in 68 countries.
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