EU leaders threaten new Russia sanctions over Ukraine

In a rare joint statement on
Tuesday, the 28 leaders voiced concern over what they said was Russian support
for pro-Moscow rebels who have made large gains in eastern Ukraine and targeted
the key port city of Mariupol.

 

“We condemn the killing of
civilians during the indiscriminate shelling of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol
on January 24, 2015. We note evidence of continued and growing support given to
the separatists by Russia, which underlines Russia’s responsibility,” they
said. “In view of the worsening situation we ask the upcoming Foreign
Affairs Council to assess the situation and to consider any appropriate action,
in particular on further restrictive measures, aiming at a swift and
comprehensive implementation of Minsk agreements”.

 

EU leaders would review the
situation at their next summit in Brussels on February 12, the statement added.

 

Under Brussels rules the foreign
ministers will task the European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, with
drawing up new sanctions, which would then have to be approved by the leaders.

 

The largely ignored Minsk peace plan
dating from September has failed to stop a conflict which has now claimed
around 5,100 lives since March, with fighting now as bad as ever following a
quieter period over the Christmas-New Year holiday, the AFP news agency points out.

 

The EU has imposed a series of
sanctions since Russia annexed Crimea in March.

 

After the Mariupol attack on
Saturday, EU foreign affairs chief Federica
Mogherini
announced the extraordinary meeting of European foreign ministers
to map out the bloc’s response to the latest violence.

 

Mogherini last week found herself in
hot water after suggesting the EU should take a softer stance with Russia,
sparking a sharp response from those who believe only a tough line will sway
Moscow.

 

EU president Donald Tusk, a former
Polish prime minister, took a notably harder tack against Russia than his
diplomatic chief at the weekend. “Once again, appeasement encourages the
aggressor to greater acts of violence,” Tusk tweeted after the Mariupol
attacks. “Time to step up our policy based on cold facts, not
illusions.”

 

The latest fighting and Russian
President Vladimir Putin‘s continued defiance has however put the EU on the
spot, the AFP points out.

 

Putin on Monday ridiculed the
Ukrainian army as NATO’s “foreign legion” aimed at containing Russia,
repeating a consistent theme that it is the West which is at fault, not Moscow.

 

NATO head Jens Stoltenberg dismissed Putin’s jibe “as nonsense,”
charging that Russia had massively stepped up support for the rebels instead of
meeting its Minsk commitments.

 

In eastern Ukraine Tuesday,
continued fighting left at least nine soldiers dead and 29 wounded 29, Kyiv
said.

 

After a meeting with Latvian President
Andris Berzins, Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics (Unity) said that a
specific decision on sanctions against Russia will not be made at Thursday’s EU
Foreign Affairs Council meeting.

 

Rinkevics told members of the press
that proposals will most likely be prepared during the Foreign Affairs Council
meeting, and that specific decisions on these proposals could be made during
the February 9 Foreign Affairs Council meeting or the European Council meeting
after.

 

”I have sent my position on this
matters to EU foreign policy chief Frederica Mogherini. I, on the other hand,
will be going on my planned visit to the United States this week, where a
variety of important matters will be discussed,” Rinkevics added.

 

Asked why a specific decision on
sanctions will not be made during the Foreign Affairs Council meeting,
Rinkevics said that there are a number of countries which insist that such
decisions should be made on the European Council level.

 

”This is normal practice for the
Foreign Affairs Council to prepare proposals to be then decided by the European
Council,” the minister said, while at the same time refraining from commenting
about specific sanctions or decision.

 

”As the situation deteriorates, we
will talk about strengthening sanctions against Russia,” the Latvian foreign
minister said. ”I do not want to make any predictions, but I hope the EU will
be able to come to a common stance when a decision will have to be made.”

 

Meanwhile, speaking about his recent
visits to Kyiv and Moscow, Rinkevics said that he feels that ”these visits
took place two years ago, not two weeks ago”.

 

”The fact that the situation has
rapidly deteriorated during the past week, means that our diplomatic efforts
have not been successful. I still believe that EU diplomacy must continue to
work on solving this matter,” he added.

 

As reported, in February 2014 Russia
occupied the Crimean peninsula that belonged to Ukraine. In March, Crimea was
annexed.


In response to Russia’s aggression
in Ukraine, the European Union, the United States, and other Western countries
have imposed sanctions against Russia’s top officials, Kremlin associates, and
Russia’s financial, defense, and energy sectors.

 

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