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Added on the 21/06/2022 20:12:41 - Copyright : Euronews EN
Russia's tanks stand poised on "Europe's Ukrainian lawn", British defence minister Grant Shapps warns, in a wide-ranging speech outlining the United Kingdom's security priorities. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the world has "come full circle, moving from a post-war to pre-war world," Shapps adds, raising the alarm at an increasingly unstable security situation amidst Israel's war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, increasing attacks on Red Sea shipping by Yemen's Huthi rebels and Moscow's ongoing invasion of its pro-Western neighbour. SOUNDBITE
Washington urges Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate "in good faith" on US detainees Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan. "So far, we've seen them refuse to take us up on our proposals, and we hope that they will change the way they've handled this going forward," US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller tells reporters. SOUNDBITE
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky warns European leaders that Russia's Vladimir Putin would exploit any failure to agree to launch his country's EU membership talks. "People in Europe won't see any benefit if Moscow receives a pass from Brussels in the form of negativity towards Ukraine. Putin will surely use this against you personally and against all of Europe," Zelensky tells an EU summit by videolink. SOUNDBITE ++ TEXT 347R2JH
European Council President Charles Michel warns that the coming weeks could decide the course of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He makes the statement following a meeting between European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. "The next few weeks and months will probably be decisive. This is not the time to tremble, this is the time to be lucid and this is the time to deploy maximum support," Michel says. SOUNDBITE
Josep Borrell, the EU foreign policy chief, holds a speech in Bruges to inaugurate the European Diplomatic Academy. "Europe is a garden," he says, praising the "combination of political freedom, economic prosperity and social cohesion". He urges European leaders, whom he compares to "gardeners", to help prevent the invasion of the "jungle". SOUNDBITE
Speaking at a press conference alongside the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, reveals a new round of sanctions against Moscow over its latest "escalation" in Ukraine. The new sanctions include a cap on the price of Russian oil and a ban on exports from the country worth seven billion euros ($7 billion). The announcement comes as the Kremlin-installed leaders of Russian-held regions in Ukraine have been claiming victory in what Von der Leyen describes as "sham" referendums on joining the Russian Federation. SOUNDBITE