Ukraine: EU proposes new sanctions as Kyiv mayor calls for end of ‘bloody money’

Suggested sanctions include banning coal and certain other imports as well as preventing Moscow’s ships entering EU ports

Move follows allegations of civilian killings by Russian troops in Bucha; Kyiv’s mayor Vitali Klitschko wants all business ties with Russia to stop

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Bodies of civilians who local residents say were killed by Russian soldiers, in a mass grave in Bucha, near Kyiv, Ukraine, on Monday. Photo: Reuters

Published: 10:23pm, 5 Apr 2022Updated: 3:22am, 6 Apr 2022

The European Union’s executive proposed sweeping new sanctions against Russia on Tuesday, including a ban on coal imports, as the West responds to evidence of civilian killings in a Ukrainian town seized from Russian invaders.

The proposed sanctions, which EU member states must approve, would bar Russian imports worth 9 billion euros (US$9.8 billion) and exports to Russia worth 10 billion euros, including semiconductors and computers, and stop Russian ships entering EU ports.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said it was working on banning oil imports too.

A satellite image shows a dead body on a Street in Bucha, Ukraine, on March 19, before Russian troops left the area. Photo: Maxar Technologies via Reuters

“We all saw the gruesome pictures from Bucha and other areas from which Russian troops have recently left. These atrocities cannot and will not be left unanswered,” she said on Twitter.

The announcement came hours after Kyiv’s mayor Vitali Klitschko called for all business ties with Russia to be cut, halting the flow of “bloody money”.

Since the Russian assault shifted from northern Ukraine to the south and east, grim images have emerged from the town of Bucha near Kyiv, including bound bodies of people shot at close range, prompting calls for tougher action against Moscow and an international investigation.

Several European countries, including Germany, France and Italy, announced the expulsion of Russian diplomats and Moscow said it would respond in kind.