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Added on the 17/06/2016 21:02:20 - Copyright : Reuters EN
The European Union's agreement on 50 billion euros in aid for Ukraine sends a powerful message to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, says EU chief Ursula von der Leyen. SOUNDBITE
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken voices hope that a successful offensive by Ukraine would force Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss ending its invasion. "Success in the counteroffensive would do two things -- it would strengthen its position at any negotiating table that emerges, and it may have the effect as well of actually causing Putin to finally focus on negotiating an end to the war that he started," Blinken tells a joint news conference with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. SOUNDBITE
The United States denounces "loose talk" on nuclear weapons after Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would only use an atomic weapon in response to an enemy strike. Declining to respond directly to Putin, State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters, "We think any loose talk of nuclear weapons is absolutely irresponsible." 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
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