Washington and its partners are considering additional sanctions if the parties do not observe a ceasefire, with political and technical negotiations between Europe and the U.S. intensifying since last week, Reuters' source said.
The Kyiv Independent’s contributor Ignatius Ivlev-Yorke spent a day with a mobile team from the State Emergency Service in Nikopol in the south of Ukraine as they responded to relentless drone, artillery, and mortar strikes from Russian forces just across the Dnipro River. Nikopol is located across from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the city of Enerhodar.
Peter Szijjarto's announcement came after Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) allegedly dismantled a Hungarian military intelligence network operating in Zakarpattia Oblast.
Moscow and Washington discuss the potential resumption of Russian gas supplies to Europe, among other issues related to the peaceful settlement of Russia's war in Ukraine, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed to the Russian state-run Interfax news agency.
"This is a historic decision, as weapons for Ukraine will be purchased at the expense of the proceeds from frozen Russian assets through the European Peace Fund," Denys Shmyhal said.
A European Union (EU) flag next to the European Commission building in Brussels, Belgium, on Nov. 10, 2023. (Simon Wohlfahrt/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
EU member states backed the introduction of trade countermeasures against the U.S. on April 9 in response to Washington's recent tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum, the European Commission announced.
In mid-March, U.S. President Donald Trump's decided to impose 25% tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, reigniting trade tensions between Washington and Brussels.
"The EU considers U.S. tariffs unjustified and damaging, causing economic harm to both sides, as well as the global economy," the statement read.
The bloc has greenlighted tariffs on around 21 billion euros ($23.2 billion) worth of U.S. goods, Bloomberg reported. They will reportedly target soybeans, diamonds, agricultural products, and motorcycles, primarily from Republican-leaning states.
Some of the EU tariffs will start to be levied on April 15.
The European Commission said the countermeasures can be halted "at any time" if the U.S. agrees to a "fair and balanced" negotiated outcome.
Trump’s new tariff policy, announced as part of what he called "Liberation Day," imposed duties on nearly every major U.S. trading partner, including Ukraine. Kyiv was hit with a 10% tariff, compared to 20% on the EU and 104% on China.
Russia, Belarus, North Korea, and Cuba were notably not included.
Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.
Dominic Culverwell
