April 6, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

Our live coverage of the war in Ukraine in has moved here.

Left to right: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio and British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss pose for a photo at NATO headquarters in Brussels on April 6.

Foreign ministers from NATO member states are meeting in Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday to discuss sanctions against Russia and ways to support Ukraine.

On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with his NATO counterparts, plus foreign ministers from non-NATO countries, including Australia and Japan.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Grim warning: NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg warned the war could stretch on for years, as Russian President Vladimir Putin wants “to control the whole of Ukraine.” He added that over the next few weeks, officials expect Russian forces to resupply with fuel, food and other supplies, with the aim of launching a brutal new offensive in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.
• Possibility of re-invasion: It remains unclear what Putin’s long-term goals are, a senior US defense official said. But despite the recent shift in strategy and several rounds of Russia-Ukraine peace talks, the US and its allies are preparing for the possibility that Putin could try to reinvade the Kyiv region once he completes his objectives in eastern Ukraine, assuming he has enough manpower and equipment left to do so, US and European officials told CNN.
• UK’s stance: At a dinner Wednesday night, UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the “age of engagement with Russia is over,” and “we need a new approach to security in Europe based on resilience, defense and deterrence.” She added that she is working with her G7 counterparts to impose more sanctions on Russian banks.
• Oil embargo: Lithuania’s foreign minister called the European Union’s proposed sanctions on Russia “disappointing,” comparing them to sanctions on candles or firewood. He called for the bloc to impose an oil embargo on Moscow, adding: “If we’re serious about our reaction to massacres of Bucha and other cities that are being uncovered, then we have to be serious with our sanctions.”
• Canada’s summons: The Canadian foreign minister said Canada will summon Russia’s ambassador in Ottawa over the allegations of mass murder of civilians in Bucha, a suburb of Kyiv, by Russian soldiers. 

Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov speaks at an event in Washington, DC, in 2019.

New US sanctions against Russia are “a direct blow to the population of Russia, to ordinary citizens,” Russia’s ambassador to the US said Wednesday.

“The (Biden) administration’s non-stop attacks in the form of sanctions demonstrate the true aspirations of the United States,” said Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov in a post on the Russian Embassy’s Telegram channel.
“Puzzling are the attempts of the United States to make it difficult for us to service our public debt. We see in these efforts as a desire to tarnish the reputation of Russia, which, despite the economic barriers being built by Washington, continues to fulfill its debt obligations in good faith and in a timely manner,” Antonov said.

His response comes as US President Joe Biden announced new sanctions Wednesday targeting Russia’s biggest financial institutions — Sberbank and Alfa Bank — as well as individuals, including President Vladimir Putin’s two adult daughters and the wife and daughter of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

The move from Washington is in response to the civilian deaths discovered in parts of Ukraine that were previously occupied by Russian forces.

“We will keep raising the economic cost and ratchet up the pain for Putin and further increase Russia’s economic isolation,” Biden said, describing the civilian deaths as “major war crimes.”

Read more about the US sanctions:

President Joe Biden speaks about the March jobs report in the State Dining Room of the White House, Friday, April 1, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Biden administration imposes new sanctions on Putin's daughters and Russian banks

Taiwan has imposed fresh sanctions against Russia that target the export of 57 high-tech commodities, the island’s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said in a statement Wednesday. 

The items include designated telecommunications equipment, integrated circuit parts and variable-frequency drives that can be used for both civil and military purposes, according to Taiwan’s state-run Central News Agency (CNA). 

The sanctions are effective immediately, MOEA said, adding the expanded export controls are in line with international sanctions to “enhance regulations on the exportation and flow of strategic high-tech commodities (SHTC) to Russia.” 

Exporters must apply for licensing with the Bureau of Foreign Trade (BOFT) to export the listed commodities to Russia, according to MOEA.

Read more about Taiwan’s role in global tech amid international tensions:

Images of mobile devices at the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) Museum of Innovation in Hsinchu, on Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022. TSMC reported a sixth straight quarter of record sales, buoyed by unrelenting demand by Apple Inc. and other customers for chips produced by the worlds largest foundry. Photographer: I-Hwa Cheng/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Tensions with Beijing throw spotlight on Taiwan's unique role in global tech