Foreign ministers of EU member states unanimously agreed on Tuesday on a package of individual, economic and financial sanctions against Russia and pro-Russian separatist territories in eastern Ukraine, with the conviction that it is probably only a first step in view of the aggressive behavior of Moscow.
There won’t be “more shopping in Milan, more parties in Saint-Tropez, more diamonds in Antwerp”, tweeted this Tuesday evening the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell, in an allusion to the lavish lifestyle of the Russian oligarchs and other close to power targeted by the freezing of assets and visa bans for the EU. “And this is only a first step. We remain united”, he added.
The 27 EU Member States have decided to individually sanction (freeze assets, visa ban) the 351 deputies of the Russian Duma who voted to recognize the sovereignty of the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, during a meeting convened urgently in Paris. Twenty-seven individuals and entities (organizations or companies) who play a role in threats to Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity are also targeted.
“Sanctions will hurt Russia, very badly”
The absence in this list of Russian President Vladimir Putin responds to a desire for gradation in the sanctions that could be taken, depending on the next actions of the Kremlin, explained Josep Borrell. Nevertheless, “the sanctions will hurt Russia, very badly”, assured the Spaniard.
Political and military leaders as well as those responsible for disinformation will be listed, as well as banks which finance the Russian military apparatus and contribute to the destabilization of Ukraine, or the ability of the Russian government to raise capital on European financial markets to refinance its debt. The trade of the two breakaway regions with the EU is also targeted, as was the case after the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014.
These decisions, agreed with the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, are in addition to that of Berlin, which ended the expected commissioning of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline between Russia and Germany.
For Josep Borrell, this is probably only a first step in the European response, even if “diplomatic efforts continue to avoid a major conflict in the heart of Europe”.
Sophie Wilmès: “The situation is becoming more and more difficult”
Our Foreign Minister, Sophie Wilmès, also says she expects the need to take other sanctions given the aggressive behavior of Moscow. “We are aware that, even if we want appeasement and if the channels of diplomacy remain open, the situation is becoming more and more difficult”.
Emphasizing European determination, she said that she did not see in the events of the last few hours a Russian desire for de-escalation, but on the contrary the search for pretexts for a Russian military deployment in Ukraine.
In this regard, High Representative Borrell expressed concern about respect for the line of contact which, to the east of the regions (“oblasts”) of Lugansk and Donetsk, separates the territories in the hands of pro-Russian separatists from those still controlled by Ukrainian regular forces. These territories in the hands of the self-proclaimed people’s republics cover only 30% of Ukrainian Donbass, but Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed on Tuesday that the recognition of their independence took all of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions.
“The story is not over”
One of the keys to this Tuesday’s meeting was the unity of the Twenty-seven, who had to decide unanimously even though they sometimes have divergent interests with Moscow. Hungary, in particular, was observed. But EU member countries have found a united response. “Some wanted to go further, others to graduate more (the sanctions), we found a point of balance”, explained Josep Borell, confirming that the Twenty-seven had decided to keep “other ammunition to respond to new actions on the part of Russia”, car “the story is not over”.