The Russian president and his minister are sanctioned.
(Photo: dpa)
Brussels, Paris The EU’s sanctions plans are also aimed at Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Corresponding reports were confirmed by diplomats in Brussels to the Handelsblatt. Specifically, asset freezes are being prepared. According to reports, an entry ban is not planned. This move is intended to keep diplomatic channels open.
It was initially unclear when and how the asset freezes against Putin and Lavrov would be implemented. It is possible that the EU will first wait and see whether Moscow is ready for talks. The Kremlin said on Friday that Russia was open to negotiations – albeit on terms tantamount to a capitulation by Ukraine.
The European heads of state and government decided on Thursday evening to significantly tighten sanctions against Russia in order to punish Moscow for the war of aggression against Ukraine. In addition to capital freezes and an export ban on microchips and other critical high-tech components, the package also includes personal sanctions against the Russian leadership.
The entire list of names is to be published promptly. In the past, the EU had sanctioned the now deceased Zimbabwean despot Robert Mugabe and the Syrian despot Bashar al-Assad.
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The European sanctions package is closely coordinated with the American one. US President Joe Biden declined to elaborate on Thursday whether the US is planning personal sanctions against Putin. However, the Democrat said the measure is “on the table.” It’s not a bluff.
Putin apparently expected penalties
EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen expressly did not rule out personal sanctions against Putin in a recent interview with the Handelsblatt. “Russia has everything in hand, let’s wait and see how the situation develops,” she replied to a relevant question.
Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) welcomed the forthcoming sanctions imposed on Putin and Lavrov. “Putin and Lavrov are personally responsible for a war of aggression that violates international law,” said Lindner on Friday in Paris.
It is not enough to meet ordinary Duma deputies with travel restrictions and asset freezes. “This must also be extended to Mr. Putin and Mr. Lavrov.” Lindner said that Germany had brought up the question of including Putin and Lavrov on the sanctions list at the discussions of the EU finance ministers in Paris.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson stressed the need for further tough sanctions against Moscow this Friday. He agreed with his Baltic and Scandinavian counterparts that “further sanctions are needed, including those focused on (President Vladimir) Putin’s inner circle,” Johnson said in a statement after an exchange with several other leaders according to.
Putin seems to have expected economic penalties from the EU. The yacht “Graceful”, which is said to belong to the Kremlin boss, was just a few weeks ago for maintenance work at the Blohm + Voss shipyard in Hamburg. Before the maintenance was complete, the Graceful left the port of Hamburg and set course for Kaliningrad.
Putin’s fortune has been the subject of speculation for years. Reliable information on the Russian President’s property is scarce.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused the West on Friday of not acting hard enough against Russia. “This is not just Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” he said in a televised address. “This is the beginning of a war against Europe. Against European solidarity. Against the basic rights of European people.”
Ukrainian employees of the EU representation write a dramatic letter
Russian ground forces have now reached Kiev. Fighting is reported from the Ukrainian capital. Ukrainian employees at the EU representation in Kiev have written a dramatic letter to their “colleagues, partners and friends” in Brussels. “The fighting is not just one-sided,” they report. Ukraine is making use of the “thousands of anti-tank weapons” made available by Ukrainian partners in recent months.
The authors write: “We are grateful for this help and for the recently announced EU sanctions package. But we need more.” The letter is addressed to several employees of the EU institutions and is available to the Handelsblatt. It is from this Friday.
More on the Ukraine conflict:
Ukrainians are demanding that NATO establish a no-fly zone over their country to prevent the Russian Air Force from deploying. They are pushing for an “immediate trade embargo” and a decoupling of Russia from payment service provider Swift. The Europeans would also have to close off their entire territory for Russia and “provide Ukraine with the highest level of military, humanitarian and financial aid”.
Instead of continuing to gradually impose new sanctions against individual representatives of Russia’s economic and political elite, the Europeans would have to “impose immediate personal sanctions against all Russian oligarchs, their families and allies.”
More: Putin’s war: That’s what the President is aiming for by attacking the free world