The European Parliament has passed a resolution calling on Moscow to support the peace plan offered by Ukraine, respect the cease-fire, and withdraw its mercenaries via the retreat corridor. It also asks Russia to release and urges the EU to "facilitate an agreement allowing Ukraine to pay a competitive price for its gas and condemn the political use of energy resources by Russia....[as] this undermines the EU's trust in Russia as a trading partner," a parliamentary press release says. The resolution also expresses a readiness to ratify association and trade deals with Kyiv.
French President Francois Holland says of the new sanctions against Russia:
"It was decided that the level of sanctions will be raised against entities -- that is groups, companies or individuals -- which helped the separatists or which have committed serious attacks on the sovereignty of the territorial integrity of Ukraine. The first list will be established by the end of July...."
"The second decision taken today is to suspend the funding of the European Investment Bank as well as the EBRD regarding projects which up until then had been decided jointly and which will be interrupted."
The head of Creon Energy advisers, Fares Kilzie, speculated to ITAR-TASS that the new sanctions will cost Russia's fuel and energy sector at least $150 billion-$200 billion.
Interfax quotes the head of the presidium of the self-styled "Donetsk People's Republic," Denis Pushilin, as denying that separatist forces have been receiving weapons from Russia:
"We started defending our territory effectively with our bare hands and occasionally with double-barrels. The DPR defense minister, Ihor Strelkov (Ihor Girkin, aka Strelkov), arrived in Slovyansk with a small squad armed with hunting rifles and left with armored vehicles, these were mainly trophies. We aren't getting arms supplies from anyone, although we would like to, in order to defend the civilian population more efficiently."
Here's Reuters video of Putin's calling the latest round of U.S. sanctions targeting major Russian banks and energy companies a "dead end" that will have a "boomerang effect." The Russian leader said at the news conference in Brasilia on July 16 that he believed the new sanctions could harm the long-term national interests of the United States.
Award-winning Russian ORT journalist Pavel Sheremet announced on Facebook that he'd quit his job over Moscow policies on Ukraine. He claimed that the state TV station's management was being pressured to "deal with the Russophobe Sheremet," RFE/RL's Russian Service reports.
Sheremet reiterated his criticism of the annexation of Crimea and support for Ukrainian separatists as a "bloody adventure and fatal mistake."