Ukraine updates: Russian summons US envoy over Crimea strike

Moscow says the US bares equal responsibility for a strike on Crimea that killed at least four, including two children. Meanwhile, the EU has adopted a new package of sanctions targeting Russia. DW has more.

Russia said a Ukrainian strike with US-supplied missiles caused the deaths of civilians including two children

Russia's Foreign Ministry has summoned the US ambassador over a missile strike in Crimea that killed four people.

Russia said that US-supplied ATACMS missiles were used and warned there would be consequences.

Meanwhile, foreign ministers of EU member states adopted a 14th packet of economic and individual sanctions targeting Russia.

Monday's package of sanctions include an additional 116 individuals and entities that have been linked to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Here are the latest developments from Russia's war in Ukraine on Monday, June 24.

EU issues 14th package of sanctions against Russia

European Union foreign ministers on Monday adopted a 14th package of sanctions against 115 individuals and entities linked to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The new measures are designed to clamp down on sanction evasion and to stop Russia from getting Western weapons technology.

The package was greenlit following several weeks of delays caused by German concerns over business regulations.

The measures also seek to reduce Russia's revenues from liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports by barring trans-shipments off EU ports.

The ministers said in a statement, the EU will "forbid reloading services of Russian LNG in EU territory for the purpose of transshipment operations to third countries."

The measures stop short of an EU ban on LNG imports, which have risen since the start of the war.

The EU estimates around 4-to-6 billion cubic meters (141 billion-212 billion cubic feet) of Russian LNG was shipped to third countries via EU ports last year.

Russia is suspected of running a "ghost fleet" of up to 400 vessels to circumvent sanctions and continue to flow of energy income to continue financing its invasion of Ukraine.

US ambassador summoned following Crimea attack

Russia's Foreign Ministry summoned US Ambassador Lynne Tracy on Monday after Sunday's missile strike on Crimea in which four people were killed, including two children.

Tracy was told by the foreign ministry that Washington "bears equal responsibility with the Kyiv regime for this atrocity" and warned there would be consequences.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the strike on Sevastopol "barbaric" and accused Washington of "killing Russian children."

"The involvement of the United States, the direct involvement, as a result of which Russian civilians are killed, cannot be without consequences," Peskov told reporters. "Time will tell what these will be," he said.

Russia said that Sunday's strikes on Sevastopol had been carried out with US-supplied ATACMS missiles, four of which were intercepted.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said that the explosion of the fragmentation warhead of the fifth missile caused the casualties.

Russia occupied the Ukrainian province of Crimea in 2014 and subsequently annexed it in an illegal move that has not been recognized by the international community.

The head of the Ukrainian president's office Andriy Yermak, wrote on Telegram on Monday: "Crimea is Ukraine."

"Russia must leave the peninsula. Their army and military objects there must cease to exist."

kb/ab (Reuters, AFP, dpa, AP)