Ukraine President agrees to impose sanctions on 24 Russian companies & Yury Chaika: Report

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday authorized the decree given by Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council to sanction 24 Russian companies. In addition, Zelensky has also given approval to the decree to impose sanctions to Russian Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the North Caucasus Federal District Yury Chaika, ANI cited TASS report. 

The companies that the Ukraine authorities have decided to impose sanctions include construction companies Lenpromtransproyekt and Geozemstroy and a Russian Insurance company named Insurance Business Group, the news report cited document published on the Presidential website. The list includes Sevastopol’s state-run Culture Development Center, the National Culture Heritage foundation for social and cultural projects, the Transstroy holding company and the Departmental Security Service of the Russian Transport Ministry.

Ukraine President approves decree to impose sanctions

The Ukraine government has decided to slap sanctions on these companies as they hold them responsible for “illegal construction” and the “use of the railway section of the transport route across the Kerch Strait," as per the ANI report. Furthermore, the Ukraine government holds these companies responsible for arranging rail service between Crimea and mainland Russia and alleges them of “damaging the national heritage in Sevastopol.”

The sanctions that will imposed against the companies will remain in effect for five years and it will include blocking of assets in Ukraine and financial transactions will also remain suspended.

Ukraine President meets US State Secretary Antony Blinken

Amid the border tensions with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday to discuss the security situation around Ukraine. Both sides discussed the ways to settle the situation with negotiation, political and diplomatic settlement, according to ANI.

During the meeting, Zelensky highlighted that Ukraine needs assistance from the US to modernize its military and expressed hope that the US will help in Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations during the upcoming summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO). US Secretary of State Antony Blinken took to his official Twitter handle and informed that he informed the Ukrainian President about their engagements with Russia and emphasised that “there will be nothing about Ukraine, without Ukraine.” Ukraine, the US and some western countries have expressed concern over the Russian military build-up along the Ukraine borders. The countries have claimed that Russia is planning to attack Ukraine, however, Russia has denied the allegations of planning to invade Ukraine. 

(Inputs from ANI)