Live: US will provide additional $100 million in security aid to Ukraine, says Blinken
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The United States and its allies on Wednesday prepared new sanctions on Moscow over civilian killings in northern Ukraine, which President Volodymyr Zelenskiy described as "war crimes" while demanding commensurate punishment. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced an additional $100 million in security assistance for Ukraine. Follow our live blog for all the latest developments. All times are Paris time [GMT+2].
9:16 am: The European Union prepares ban on Russian coal exports
The EU sanction package will include sanctions that have been discussed before the Boucha massacres but the revelations from earlier this week gave the impetus to adopt the sanctions sooner rather than later. FRANCE 24's Dave Keating reports from Brussels.
9:00 am: The world must act to stop 'mass murder' in Ukraine says UK health minister
The world must act to stop the mass murder in Ukraine, British Health Secretary Sajid Javid said on Wednesday. "This is mass murder on an unprecedented scale in Europe. We haven't seen the likes of this I think since 1995," he told BBC television.
"I don't want to be commemorating another genocide in Europe years from now. We have the power, the world has the power to stop this, and it must act."
8:43 am: Russian border guards came under fire in region bordering Ukraine
A Russian regional official said on Wednesday that border guards in the Kursk region bordering Ukraine had come under fire.
"Yesterday, on April 5, they tried to fire mortars at the position of our border guards in the Sudzhansky district," said Roman Starovoit, the governor of the Kursk region. "Russian border guards returned fire...There were no casualties or damage on our side."
8:35 am: Russian troops are reportedly massing on the border near Kharkiv
The Ukrainian armed forces claim they are still pushing forward to the east of Kharkiv despite reports of fierce battles taking place there. The situation outside of Kharkiv remains very tense and difficult for many people stuck in more remote towns and villages. FRANCE 24's senior reporter Catherine Norris-Trent reports from Kharkiv.
8:00 am: Turkey calls for probe into civilian deaths in Bucha
Turkey on Wednesday joined the global condemnation of the murder of civilians in the town of Bucha and other cities in Ukraine, and called for an independent investigation.
"The images of the massacre, which have been published in the press from various regions including Bucha and Irpin near Kyiv, are appalling and sad for humanity," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Aside from a tweeted message by the Turkish embassy in Ukraine on Monday, it was the first official reaction from Turkey after dozens of bodies were found in mass graves or littering the streets near the Ukrainian capital over the weekend.
6:30 am: Fresh round of US sanctions will respond in part to killings in Bucha, Ukraine
A new round of US sanctions to be imposed on Russia will in part be a response to the killings of civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday.
The sanctions "will target Russian government officials, their family members, Russian owned financial institutions, also state owned enterprises," Psaki said.
3:25 am: US to provide additional $100 million in security assistance to Ukraine, says Blinken
The United States will provide an additional $100 million in security assistance to Ukraine, including anti-armor systems, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and REUTERS)
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