The European Union today agreed a package of additional sanctions targeting sectoral cooperation and exchanges with Russia, sending a “strong warning”
to Moscow over the illegal annexation of Crimea and the continued
destabilisation of Eastern Ukraine. The measures will limit access to EU
capital markets for Russian State-owned financial institutions, impose
an embargo on trade in arms, establish an export ban for dual use goods
for military end users, and curtail Russian access to sensitive
technologies particularly in the field of the oil sector.
The package reinforces the recently expanded listing of persons and
entities undermining Ukrainian territorial integrity and sovereignty,
the suspension of EIB and EBRD financing, the restriction of investment
and trade with Crimea and Sevastopol, and the reassessment of the Russia
EU bilateral cooperation with a view to reducing the level of the
cooperation.
In a joint statement
today, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso and President
of the Council of the European Union Herman Van Rompuy said the measures
were meant as a strong warning: “illegal annexation of territory and
deliberate destabilisation of a neighbouring sovereign country cannot
be accepted in 21st century Europe. Furthermore, when the violence
created spirals out of control and leads to the killing of almost 300
innocent civilians in their flight from the Netherlands to Malaysia, the
situation requires urgent and determined response.”
They said the EU would fulfil its obligations to protect and ensure
the security of its citizens, and would stand by its neighbours and
partners.
“Since the beginning of the Ukrainian crisis, the European Union
has been calling on the Russian leadership to work towards a peaceful
resolution,” the EU leaders said. But, despite some mixed messages from
Moscow, “there has been scarce delivery on commitments”.
“Our call has been, in practice, left unheeded. Arms and
fighters continue flowing into Ukraine from the Russian Federation.
Strong Russian State sponsored nationalist propaganda continues
supporting the illegal actions of armed separatists. We have witnessed
with anger and frustration the delays in providing international access
to the site of the air crash, the tampering with the remains of the
plane, and the disrespectful handling of the deceased.”
Barroso and Van Rompuy said the EU and Russia had important common
interests that would benefit from open and frank dialogue, from
increased cooperation and exchanges. “But we cannot pursue this
important positive agenda when Crimea is illegally annexed, when the
Russian Federation supports armed revolt in Eastern Ukraine, when the
violence unleashed kills innocent civilians.”
They said the new package of measures was a powerful signal to the leaders of the Russian Federation: “destabilising
Ukraine, or any other Eastern European neighbouring State, will bring
heavy costs to its economy. Russia will find itself increasingly
isolated by its own actions.”
The EU remains ready to reverse its decisions and reengage with
Russia when it starts contributing actively and without ambiguities to
finding a solution to the Ukrainian crisis, they added.
The European Commission has announced a new annual support package for the Republic of Moldova to