The government of Japan on Friday condemned Russia’s decision to transfer nuclear weapons to Belarusian territoryand imposed new sanctions against Moscow.
The government spokesman, Hirokazu Matsuno, demanded that the Russian authorities “stop such actions that escalate tensions”and assured that they will continue to monitor the situation “with great interest”, according to the newspaper nikkei.
“Japan, the only country that has suffered atomic bombing during the war, we absolutely cannot accept the threat of nuclear weapons from Russialet alone its use,” Matsuno said at a press conference.
The President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenkoannounced on Thursday the beginning of the transfer of Russian tactical nuclear weapons to the territory of the former Soviet republic, which shares a border with Ukraine.
“We had to prepare the place for storage and so on. We did it. That’s why, the transfer of nuclear charges has already begun”, Lukashenko told Russian television.
He Ministry of Foreign Affairs Japan, announced the expansion of sanctions against Russia“in light of the current international situation surrounding Ukraine, and in order to contribute to international peace efforts aimed at resolving this issue.”
The foreign portfolio assured in a statement that the measures involve the freezing of assets of 78 organizations and 17 individuals, the export ban on 80 Russian organizations, the refusal to export goods “that contribute to strengthening the Russian industrial base”, and the ban on the “provision of architectural and engineering services” to Russia.
Those sanctioned include officials from the annexed regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhyamilitary and a television presenter.
Sanctions against Wagner
Meanwhile, the US Treasury Department sanctioned Ivan Aleksandrovich Maslov, head of the paramilitary units and main administrator of the Wagner mercenary group in Mali.
Maslova Russian national, is a senior Wagner official to whom the leader of that paramilitary group, Yevgeniy Viktorovich Prigozhinhe put in charge of his mercenary units in that African country, according to Washington.
The sanction is issued for having acted directly or on behalf of the Wagner Group, either directly or indirectly.
The US Executive stressed that Wagner’s presence in Africa is a “destabilizing force for any country that allows the deployment of the group’s resources in its sovereign territory”.
The Treasury framed the sanction against Maslov in America’s opposition to any country’s efforts to help Russia through that group.
According to your data, Wagner may be seeking transit through Mali of materials purchased for use in Ukraine. and is willing to use false documents in these transactions.
Washington believes that Wagner members may have tried to use Mali to acquire war equipment such as mines, UAVs, radar, and counter-battery systems.
As a result of this Thursday’s sanction, the properties and assets that Maslov has in US territory are blocked, and Americans are prohibited from having transactions with him.
(With information from EFE, Europa Press and AFP)
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Source-www.infobae.com