The EU has strongly condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recognition of the separatist regions in eastern Ukraine and announced sanctions against all those involved.
“The recognition of the two separatist areas in Ukraine is a blatant violation of international law, Ukraine’s territorial integrity and the Minsk agreements,” said EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President Charles Michel on Twitter on Monday .
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A joint statement by the two also said: “The Union will respond with sanctions against those involved in this illegal activity.”
The US government will also react to Russia’s decision with sanctions. US President Joe Biden will issue a corresponding order shortly, said White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki on Monday. The measures would affect, among other things, investments or trade by US persons with a view to Donetsk and Luhansk.
In a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Biden stressed the United States’ commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the White House said on Monday. “President Biden reiterated that the United States, in lockstep with its allies and partners, will respond swiftly and decisively to any further Russian aggression against Ukraine,” it said.
“Biggest threat to peace and security in Europe since World War II”
Germany and France also sharply condemned the Russian recognition of Donetsk and Luhansk and announced a reaction. Chancellor Olaf Scholz, US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed in a conversation that there was a clear breach of the Minsk peace agreement for eastern Ukraine, said German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit on Monday evening. This step will not go unanswered.
Scholz, Biden and Macron had declared their solidarity with Ukraine and appreciated President Volodymyr Zelensky’s previously cautious reaction, Hebestreit continued. “The partners agreed not to let up in their commitment to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. At the same time, every effort will be made to prevent the situation from escalating further.”
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Baerbock had previously appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop gambling with human lives. The breach of the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine led, among other things, to a collapse in the water and electricity supply there.
“This is the responsibility of the Russian government,” Baerbock said. She asked Moscow: “Come back to the negotiating table.”
Latvia and Lithuania for immediate countermeasures
At a meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels, Baltic EU states such as Lithuania had already called for the immediate imposition of punitive measures against Moscow. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis spoke out in favor of sanctioning people in Russia who are responsible for misinformation about the Ukraine conflict.
His Latvian counterpart Edgars Rinkevics also called for sanctions to be imposed immediately in view of the “escalation of the situation in Donbass and the decision to leave Russian troops in Belarus”.
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This is exactly what Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who was also present at the Brussels meeting, demanded. Arriving at the Brussels meeting, Kuleba demanded that by imposing at least some sanctions, the EU should show that it was capable of taking action.
Russia is to be cut off from financial markets
Previously, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen outlined the arsenal of countermeasures available to the community in relatively clear words on Sunday evening on ARD. The financial sanctions planned by the EU and the USA are aimed at “essentially cutting off Russia from the international financial markets,” said von der Leyen.
In her words, the possible sanctions would be aimed at “the goods that Russia urgently needs to modernize and diversify its economy, but which are produced by us, where we have global dominance, and which Russia cannot replace”. That is true for example for the import of high-tech products from the EU to Russia.
Additional financial credit for Ukraine
The chairman of the Europe Committee in the Bundestag, Anton Hofreiter, considers an end to the Baltic Sea pipeline Nord Stream 2 in the event of a Russian attack on Ukraine to be inevitable. “Everyone is aware that Nord Stream 2 is dead if there is an invasion,” the Green politician told the Tagesspiegel.
At the same time, given the threat to Ukraine from Russian cyber attacks, Hofreiter spoke out in favor of expanding economic support for Kiev. “The uncertainty among investors has already caused considerable damage to the Ukrainian economy,” he said in justification.
“Therefore, both the federal government and the EU Commission should be prepared to stabilize the Ukrainian economy even more.”
In Berlin, a government spokesman announced that the federal government and Ukraine were working “at full speed” to prepare the payment of an additional untied financial loan. However, it should be noted that Ukraine in particular must create the necessary legal conditions for accepting the planned loan, the spokesman said.
Among other things, this would require the Ukrainian parliament to be consulted. “Depending on the parliamentary process in Ukraine, we assume that the disbursement can start in a few months, probably in the second quarter of 2022,” said the spokesman.
During his visit to Kiev, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) promised Ukraine another untied financial loan of 150 million euros. (with dpa, AFP)