The Russian invasion

Illustration image. AP  

The Russian invasion The sanctions 

New sanctions target Russian diamonds 

Britain imposes new sanctions against 86 Russian individuals and organizations. It includes, among other things, an import ban on Russian diamonds, copper, aluminum and nickel, AFP reports.  

The announcement came before the G7 meeting in Hiroshima, Japan. The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, says that the EU will also act against the Russian diamond trade, which has a turnover equivalent to SEK 40 to 50 billion per year.  

On Friday, the G7 leaders agreed on new sanctions against Russia, they write in a joint statement. 

"We are imposing additional sanctions and taking steps to increase the costs to Russia and those who support its wars." 

 

Andrei Medvedev. Håkon Mosvold Larsen/NTB  

Russian invasionRussian reactions  

The Wagner soldier who escaped to Norway wants to go home  

Former Wagner commander Andrej Medvedev, who made headlines when he fled across the border to Norway, has decided to return home to Russia. He says that in a series of YouTube clips, according to Reuters. 

The 26-year-old says he can feel "like a boy in a big game" he no longer wants to be a part of. He says he contacted the Russian embassy in Oslo to get help to get home. 

- We will see what happens in Russia. If they kill me, fine. If they don't, thank you very much.  

Medvedev crossed the border on foot in January, and then sought asylum in Norway. He claimed that he fled because of the brutality he saw while serving in the Wagner group.  

In April, Medvedev was arrested in Sweden when he took the bus across the border to buy cheap cigarettes.  

Arab League meeting/Zelenskyj. AP  

The Russian invasion|The response of the outside world  

Zelensky in Saudi Arabia - meets the Arab League  

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's tour to seek support for the impending counteroffensive continues. On Friday he landed in Saudi Arabia to participate in the Arab League meeting, he writes on Twitter. 

"Beginning my first ever visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to improve bilateral relations and Ukraine's connections with the Arab world."  

After the meeting in Jidda, he will go on with a French government plan to the G7 meeting in Hiroshima, Japan. 

Zelenskyy has visited several European capitals in recent weeks. Among other things, he has met the Nordic prime ministers in Finland, the Pope in Italy and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

The nuclear weapons of the great powers 

Kremlin: Nuclear weapons agreement with the US is fading away  

 

The "last remnants" of the nuclear agreement between Russia and the United States are disappearing, says Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, according to Reuters.  

 

The statement comes after a group of Republican lawmakers introduced a bill to scrap the New START treaty, in which Putin earlier this year paused Russia's participation.  

 

According to Peskov, there are now no "serious, substantial contacts" between Moscow and Washington on the issue. 

 

- Let's just say that the last remnants of the international legal framework in this area are eroding away.