New EU sanctions on Russia, as Ukrainian forces regain territory

By Nathan Morley

President Zelensky of Ukraine said that since the start of October, a counteroffensive by his forces had reclaimed more than 500 square kilometers of territory and dozens of settlements from Russian forces in the Kherson region.

On Thursday, Zelensky told the first meeting of the European Political Community that Ukraine must win so that Russia does not ‘advance on Warsaw or again on Prague’. He also called on Western powers to provide his army with more weapons.

The United States remains focused on the situation in Ukraine. US President Joe Biden said Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin was “not joking when he talks about the use of tactical nuclear weapons or biological or chemical weapons”.

Biden added, “We have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis."

Meanwhile, the European Union has slapped a new round of sanctions on Moscow, intensifying import and export bans and blacklisting individuals over the annexation of four Ukrainian regions.

As young Russian men continue to flee to avoid conscription; the Kremlin denied reports that 700,000 Russians had hot-footed from the country since Moscow announced a mobilization drive.