EU threatens Russia with more sanctions
The European Commission will propose additional economic sanctions to be imposed on Russia unless it acts to stop the fighting in eastern Ukraine.
The leaders of the European Union have instructed the European Commission and the EU’s diplomatic service to prepare further sanctions to be imposed on Russia, in reaction to its military action against Ukraine.
Proposals are to be presented for consideration by the EU’s member states “within a week”.
Herman Van Rompuy, the president of the European Council, said the EU was ready to take “significant further steps in light of the evolution of the situation on the ground”. He condemned the movement of Russian troops and weaponry into Ukraine. Angela Merkel, Germany’s chancellor, said that sanctions would be imposed “if the situation in the last days goes on”.
The European Council adopted conclusions that called for a ceasefire and urged Russia to implement a peace plan prepared by Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko, who attended the Council meeting.
The options prepared by the Commission and the European External Action Service will be discussed by political and security ambassadors from the member states. François Hollande, France’s president, said that he hoped the sanctions could be specified before a NATO summit on Thursday and Friday (4-5 September).
Van Rompuy denounced “the presence of Russian armed forces on Ukrainian soil”. José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, said: “What is happening in the eastern part of Ukraine is war.”
It is unclear whether the mooted sanctions will be an intensification of existing measures affecting exports in the military, energy and the financial sectors, or will extend into new economic sectors.
The Council specifically instructed the Commission to include in its proposals a measure “on the basis of which every person and institution dealing with the separatists groups in the Donbass [region of eastern Ukraine] will be listed”.
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Mark Rutte, prime minister of the Netherlands, said that whether the sanctions affected “different fields” would depend on the Commission’s proposals.
Barroso said that at a meeting with Poroshenko he had said that the EU stood ready to provide “an additional €1 billion in loans to Ukraine”.
In addition to the situation in Ukraine, the EU’s leaders also discussed developments in the Middle East. They said they were “extremely dismayed” by the deterioration of the security and humanitarian situation in Iraq and Syria caused by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) fighters. They welcomed efforts by the US and other international partners to hold an international security conference in Iraq. They said “determined action” was needed to prevent EU nationals travelling to Iraq and Syria to fight with Jihadist forces and said that efforts to prevent foreign fighters joining the conflict – including the sharing of information – should be stepped up.
They said that creating an Islamic Caliphate in Iraq and Syria was a “direct threat to the security of European countries”.
The EU leaders also discussed the worrying state of the European economy, in light of a very low level of inflation and extremely high unemployment. They agreed that the situation raises “significant concerns”.
“In recent weeks economic data have confirmed that the recovery, particularly in the euro area, is weak,” the conclusions state. The leaders agreed to hold a special summit on jobs and growth in Italy in early October, and a summit of government leaders from eurozone countries following the European Council in late October.
Speaking after the Council, Hollande said the situation was unacceptable. “The diagnosis is unquestionable. It’s a widespread situation, there are some countries in recession, and inflation has reached a historic low everywhere. Therefore there is a European problem, a lack of sufficient demand.”