Flag of New ZealandMOSCOW, Mar 7New Zealand imposes sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Ukraine. In total, the published list includes about 100 people. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirmed at a government meeting on Monday that New Zealand intends to expand sanctions against Russia, the New Zealand Herald reports. As expected, the corresponding bill will be considered in the country's parliament this week. If approved, the authorities will have the opportunity to freeze the accounts of individuals, companies and organizations that they consider involved in the aggravation of the situation in Ukraine. According to the prime minister, sanctions can be applied to Russian ships and aircraft, which will be denied access to the waters and airspace of New Zealand .The bill also allows for the imposition of sanctions against other states involved, according to its authors, in Russia's «illegal actions», such as Belarus. Media: Venezuela and the United States did not agree on easing sanctions against CaracasRussia launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24. President Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.» For this, according to him, it is planned to carry out «demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine», to bring to justice all war criminals responsible for «bloody crimes against civilians» in Donbass. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces strike only at military infrastructure and Ukrainian troops, the civilian population is not in danger. With the support of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the DPR and LPR groups are developing an offensive. But the occupation of Ukraine is out of the question, the Russian President emphasized.
