European Union foreign ministers will discuss Ukraine with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday after Washington ordered family members at its embassy in Kiev to leave due to the “threat of Russian military action”.
The ministers will say that “any further military aggression by Russia against Ukraine will have massive consequences and severe costs,” according to a draft of the meeting’s conclusions seen by Bloomberg. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly denied that he currently plans to attack Ukraine.
So far, the EU has been unwilling to discuss specific sanctions, even behind closed doors, and some countries are concerned that certain punishments could hit Europe more than Russia, particularly amid the current energy crisis.
Key developments:
– The United States orders the families of diplomats to leave Ukraine, citing the risk of conflict.
– European economies are at risk in a clash with Russia.
UK warns Russia is plotting to install a pro-Kremlin government in Ukraine.
– The head of the German army resigns after making comments favorable to Russia.
– All times are local (CET).
Latvia seeks more NATO support
Latvia called on NATO to increase its presence in allies to the east, citing the “continuous” military build-up of Russian and Belarusian forces.
“It is time to increase the presence of Allied forces on the eastern flank of the Alliance both as defense and deterrence measures,” Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said on Twitter. NATO has announced several ship and aircraft deployments to its members, including Lithuania and Bulgaria.
Ireland criticizes close Russian naval exercise
Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said Russia’s intentions to hold military exercises some 240 kilometers (149 miles) off Ireland’s southwest coast “are neither welcome nor desired at this time,” particularly given that the location would effectively be on the western borders of the EU.
While such an exercise would take place in part of Ireland’s exclusive economic zone, the country does not have the power to prevent Russia from doing so, as they would be in international waters, he said. “This is not the time to increase military activity and tension in the context of what is happening in Ukraine right now,” Coveney said.
UK withdraws some embassy staff and dependents from Kiev (10:36 am)
The UK withdrew some of its staff and dependents from its embassy in Kiev “in response to the growing threat from Russia,” according to a tweet from the foreign office on Monday.
The move comes after the United States announced overnight that it would order relatives of its diplomats to leave Ukraine, while non-essential personnel could leave voluntarily.
Romania urges speeding up preparations for sanctions (10:36 am)
The European Union must speed up its preparations for possible sanctions against Russia, Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu told reporters upon arrival at the Brussels meeting.
Aurescu said that “this is the most powerful instrument that the EU can use to deter further Russian aggression,” adding that for this reason “we have to speed up the preparation of sanctions.”
The minister said that his colleagues in their final conclusions “will state very strongly that the concept of spheres of influence is outdated and should not be used in the current European security context.”
The EU has so far been reluctant to discuss specific sanctions on Moscow, leading some to question how strongly the Western alliance would respond to the Russian move.
Denmark threatens sanctions ‘never seen before’
Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod warned that the EU was ready to impose “never before seen” sanctions against Russia should it invade Ukraine.
“We are ready to undertake the most severe sanctions, also more severe than in 2014,” he said, referring to measures imposed by the bloc after Russia annexed Crimea. Kofod said Putin would be “totally isolated” and pay a heavy price if he tried to use military force to change Europe’s borders.
Ukraine says US decision to remove families ‘premature’
The decision to remove the families of US diplomats from Kiev was “premature,” Oleh Nikolenko, a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said on Monday. ukrainiana.
There has been “no significant change in the security situation recently” because the threat of new waves of Russian aggression has been the same since 2014 and the build-up of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border began in April, Nikolenko said.
European Gas extends profit with threat of conflict (9:21 am)
Natural gas prices in Europe rose as much as 7% at the start of trading on Monday. If tensions between Russia and Ukraine escalate further, uncertainty over the impact on European gas supplies could briefly push prices to new records.
Western sanctions on the newly constructed Nord Stream 2 pipeline “would potentially end up restricting flows to Europe for an indefinite period,” Goldman Sachs said in a note.