Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: major developments on day 4 of conflict
- EU’s Borrell pledges to work with allies to ‘cripple the Russian financial market’ following other sanctions announced earlier in the day
- EU moves follow Putin’s order for nuclear forces to be on alert in response to ‘unfriendly economic actions against our country’
The UN Security Council has voted for the 193-member General Assembly to hold an emergency session on Monday to discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which was entering its fifth day.
On Sunday, Russia made advances in the second city of Kharkiv, but its troops failed to gain a foothold in the capital Kyiv amid fierce resistance from Ukrainian fighters.
The response from the West escalated, with the European Union’s top diplomat Josep Borrell announcing that his bloc was working on a plan to freeze half of Russia’s central bank holdings.
On Sunday, the EU announced other penalties, including a ban on all transactions with Russia’s central bank. BP will exit from its stake in Russian oil producer Rosneft, and the Norwegian government announced that its US$1.3 trillion sovereign wealth fund will divest its Russian assets.
03:20
As thousands flee, one Ukrainian woman heads back to fight against Russian invasion