Comprehensive EU sanctions on two firms of Crimea and 13 people

The European Union has banned first two companies by the Ukrainian crisis and the decisive Russian intervention in its development. EU foreign ministers have raised this morning the pressure on Russia to include 13 people to its blacklist and, new, two companies expropriated by changing the Crimea region Ukrainian to Russian hands, according to diplomatic sources.

The scope of the sanctions is somewhat lower than the EU representatives had shuffled  in recent days. In the preparatory meetings, came to be on the table more companies – five – to be penalized for their role in the crisis, but the need for unanimity among 28 states has reduced its scope. Also until yesterday it had identified 14 individuals to punish, but the final list includes less.

With the emergence of the first companies, Brussels supports the limited scope offered by the so-called phase two of the sanctions (visa ban and freeze European assets of individuals held responsible for having violated the territorial integrity of Ukraine, as well as companies directly linked to them). Thus, the EU could not criminalize conduct deemed harmful to Ukraine if there was a particular link. In the last week, the Permanent Representatives of the Member States in Brussels have agreed to the relevant legal amendments to allow this change.

With 13 people added, the list of banned by the Ukrainian crises (where most Russians and Crimean now informally of the same nationality) totaled 61 people. Although the impact is limited to the persons concerned, in practice the application of sanctions from Europe and the United States and the stage of uncertainty that are already damaging the Russian economy, capital flight of around 2.5% of GDP, falling ruble and the price of Russian companies.

Brussels continues to raise the pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin before the doubts that generates the proposed smoothing in speech shown in the last days. EU imposes more sanctions because they believe that Moscow is backtracking on its strategy to destabilize Ukraine, but not adopt stronger measures unless Putin to step forward in their devices (for example, if I did not admit or boycotting the presidential elections May 25 or makes any movement with the Russian troops are deployed along the Ukrainian border).

Nevertheless, many countries insist on the need on the horizon that third round of sanctions (eg, trade restrictions or measures focused on specific sectors that really damaged the Russian economy, but also European) because the behavior Putin shown throughout this crisis prevented by giving finished the hardest phase. “It’s very important to show that we are ready for the third wave of penalties depending on the attitude of Russia towards elections May 25. This is the most important of all “, said this morning the British Foreign Secretary, William Hague.

Pending more conclusive answers, Europe struggles to see the nuance in each of the words of the Russian president. The President of the OSCE, the Swiss Didier Burkhalter, has put the spotlight this afternoon in the internal dialogue between the Ukrainian Government and civil society organizations in the country. “The biggest challenge for dialogue and Ukraine is the time,” he added. Burkhalter also assessed the change in tone of the Russian government, said this morning that “respect ” the outcome of the referendum in Donetsk and Lugansk. “Russia speaks of respect and no recognition and this is important,” he concluded.

The Russian government has ensured that respects the result of consultations held in self Lugansk and Donetsk regions. “In Moscow, we expect that the result will be translated practically and peacefully without violence through dialogue and repeated,” the Kremlin said in a statement. These results are the fruit of the ” glut of people “, as interpreted by the deposed President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych.

From Moscow, where he is in exile from his removal from office, Yanukovych said today in a statement Kiev by Ukrainian media has passed the point of no return in the Ukrainian southeast to face the Russian-speaking population of Donetsk and Lugansk. ” Why an absolute majority of the inhabitants of the Donbas coal basin were the referendum to give their vote for any form of State not allowing the terrorists call their citizens and kill with impunity? Because the limit of patience Ukrainian Village has already passed, ” Yanukovych said.

While moderately – punishes – Russia, the EU steps up support to Ukraine, now heavily dependent on external support to weather the economic collapse and political morass. President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, has traveled today to Kiev to meet with Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk, which in turn will visit Brussels tomorrow to meet with the European Commission. The club tries to ward off chaos in the neighboring country to offer its support to the Government of Kiev, but so far the capacity to mobilize pro-Russian movements have proven far more gimmicky.

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Posted by Maleeha Tareen on May 13 2014. Filed under Europe. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.