Putin orders retaliatory sanctions against West – Kremlin

RUSSIA,UKRAINE, DENMARK,BELGIUM: Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree on retaliatory economic sanctions in response to the “unfriendly actions of certain foreign states and international organizations,” the Kremlin said on Tuesday.

The document does not provide any details of which individuals or entities may be affected by the measures.

According to the decree, Russia will forbid the export of products and raw materials to people and entities that it has sanctioned.

The decree also prohibits transactions with foreign individuals and companies hit by Russia’s retaliatory sanctions, and permits Russian counterparties not to fulfill obligations toward them.

Under the decree, the Russian government has 10 days to compile lists of foreign individuals and companies to be sanctioned, as well as to define “additional criteria” for a number of transactions that could be subject to restrictions.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin might undergo cancer surgery while temporarily handing over power to the secretary of the country’s Security Council Nikolai Patrushev, unverified media reports claimed.

Putin has reportedly been told by doctors that he must undergo an operation, the New York Post reported citing a Telegram channel purportedly run by a former Russian Foreign Intelligence Service lieutenant general. The anticipated surgery and recovery are expected to incapacitate Putin for “a short time,” the report said.

Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday appealed for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the crisis, even as his Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen hoped that India will use its influence over Russia to end the war. Speaking to reporters here after bilateral talks, Modi said he discussed the Ukraine crisis and appealed for an “immediate ceasefire” in Ukraine. “We appealed for immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and return to dialogue and diplomacy for resolving the crisis,” Modi said.

Meanwhile, The 27-member European Union faces far more economic pain from the war and resulting sanctions than the U.S. — true above all when it comes to the oil and gas that powers vehicles and keeps the heat and lights on. Europe gets around 40% of its natural gas and 25% of its oil from Russia, whereas the U.S. gets meager amounts of oil and no natural gas.

– THE HINDUSTAN TIMES,THE STATESMAN, THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS