EU imposes new sanctions on Russia over occupied Ukraine elections

European Union member states announced sanctions on Monday against 77 individuals involved in illegal elections held in Russian occupied regions of Ukraine, UPI and Yahoo News Canada reported. The sanctions include travel bans and asset freezes on 74 candidates who stood for election to Russia's parliament. The Council of the EU said the votes took place in the Donetsk People's Republic, the Luhansk People's Republic, Crimea, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. [1][11]

The sanctions follow an announcement by United States President Donald Trump on Sunday that an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine had been agreed, according to DW and the Irish Times. Trump unilaterally claimed on social media that both countries agreed to a stop in strikes effective immediately. As FTMQ News reported earlier, Trump also ordered the suspension of sanctions on Russian diesel exports. [3][4][16]

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine supported the ceasefire proposal, but reported that Russian forces continued hitting energy sites in Kyiv and Kharkiv, DW and PBS NewsHour reported. India Today and the Wall Street Journal also reported that Russian strikes hit Ukrainian energy locations after the announcement, leaving civilians dead. DW noted that the Kremlin said it would only consider a one day ceasefire for an election. [3][4][5][7][8][12]

CNN reported that the United States has threatened to suspend intelligence sharing and weapons purchases if Ukraine continues strikes on Russian energy refineries. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and currently occupies roughly 20 percent of the country. [2][14]