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Japan commits to a ban on Russian crude oil imports ‘in principle’ as outrage grows over the bombing of a school in eastern Ukraine.
- UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is “appalled” by the bombing of a school in eastern Ukraine that left about 60 people dead and called for civilians to be spared, his spokesperson says.
- Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says “evil has returned” to Ukraine after Russia’s invasion in an emotional address on World War II’s Victory Day.
- More than 170 civilians have reached the city of Zaporizhzhia after being evacuated from Mariupol and from the Azovstal steel plant where fighters have vowed to continue to battle until the end.
- G7 leaders held a virtual meeting where they have pledged to reinforce Moscow’s economic isolation and to phase out the group’s dependence on Russian energy.
- US first lady Jill Biden has paid a surprise visit to her Ukrainian counterpart Olena Zelenska to mark Mother’s Day. Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also made an unannounced trip to Ukraine where he held a meeting with Zelenskyy.
Here are all the latest updates:
Lockheed Martin looks to nearly double Javelin missile production
US weapons maker Lockheed Martin plans to nearly double the production of Javelin missiles, the antitank weapon that has helped Ukraine fight Russia’s invasion, according to its chief executive.
James Taiclet told CBS News on Sunday that his company’s aim is to boost output to 4,000 per year from 2,100 per year currently. The increase will take as long as a couple of years, he said.
The US has rushed $3.4bn worth of weapons to Ukraine since Russia invaded on February 24, including Javelins as well as howitzers, anti-aircraft Stinger systems, ammunition and body armor.
“We can start turning up the heat now and ramping up production immediately,” Taiclet said, noting the firm is anticipating increased demand for “superior systems in large enough numbers”.
“We’re planning for the long run and not just in the Javelin,” he said, noting he expects to see increased demand beyond the Ukraine war due to threats from Russia and China.
Japan to ban Russian oil imports ‘in principle’
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says Tokyo will ban Russian crude oil imports “in principle,” as part of a Group of Seven (G7) campaign to counter Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
He made the pledge after an online meeting of G7 leaders on Sunday.
“For a country heavily dependent on energy imports, it’s a very difficult decision. But G7 coordination is most important at a time like now,” Kishida said, according to a statement released by the Japanese government.
Russia has ‘forgotten’ all that mattered to WWII victors: Zelenskyy
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia has forgotten everything that mattered to the victors of World War II.
Denouncing Russia’s heavy shelling in the east of the country, including a strike on a school that he says 60 people, Zelenskyy said that while Moscow prepares to commemorate the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, Russian troops are attacking civilians in Ukraine.
“Russia has forgotten everything that was important to the victors of World War II,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly address.
“Civilians who simply hid in the school from the shelling. It was a targeted blow to the school. Another crime of the occupiers,” he said.
![Russian soldiers march during a dress rehearsal for the Victory Day military parade in Moscow on Saturday, May 7, 2022 [Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/red-square.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C497)
UK places fresh sanctions on Russia, Belarus
The United Kingdom is placing fresh sanctions on Russia and Belarus, including import tariffs on precious metals and export bans.
The import tariffs, including on platinum and palladium, will target trade worth 1.7 billion pounds ($2.10bn) while export bans worth 250 million pounds ($310m) will target Russia’s manufacturing and heavy industry, the UK’s Department for International Trade said.
“This far-reaching package of sanctions will inflict further damage on the Russian war machine,” Secretary of State for International Trade Anne-Marie Trevelyan said.
The UK has slapped a range of sanctions on Russian companies and individuals since Russia invaded Ukraine with Belarusian help in February. The UK’s new sanctions bring the total value of products subjected to full or partial import and export sanctions to more than 4 billion pounds ($4.9bn).
Hello and welcome to Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the war in Ukraine.
Read all the updates from Sunday, May 8 here.
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