Zelenskyy calls for new sanctions against Russia; Australia steps up military aid for Ukraine
Washington, March 31: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for further sanctions on Russia during a virtual address to the Australian parliament on Thursday. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, on the other hand, stepped up military aid for Ukraine.
Australia has announced a further $25 million in military aid for Ukraine, as Zelenskyy addressed Australian MPs in a rare joint sitting of Parliament.
Addressing the Australian Parliament, the Ukrainian President said "The distance between our country is big, but there is no such thing as distance to Russians' brutality to our Ukrainian land."
Zelenskyy further warned of great implications to global security if Russia isn't stopped and also spoke about what will come after the war, calling on nations and companies to invest in the restoration of Ukraine.
He spoke explicitly on the development of Black Sea ports and cities, as well as the rebuilding of the naval sector.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials announced Thursday that an evacuation corridor has been established with the Russians for the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol.
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Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk stated in a Telegram statement that she received a message from the International Committee of the Red Cross confirming Russian readiness to provide a "humanitarian corridor" from Mariupol to Berdiansk.
Earlier on Wednesday, US Vice President Joe Biden met with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, who briefed him on the status of Kyiv's talks with Moscow.
Last month, Russia started an invasion after declaring the Ukrainian breakaway areas of Donetsk and Luhansk to be "independent republics." Russia has claimed that its operations aimed to "demilitarise" and "de-nazify" the country.
Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, several Western and European countries have imposed harsh sanctions on the Russian economy and banking system.
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-PTC News
