European Union to impose new sanctions against Russia

EU chiefs of diplomacy gathered in Brussels to discuss the latest developments in Ukraine, in particular the tragic MH17 crash. The Council heard an address delivered by Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Frans Timmermans and strongly condemned the unparalleled act of barbarity which was the shooting down of a civilian passenger aircraft. EU foreign ministers stressed that direct perpetrators are not the only ones responsible for the death of innocent people. “The crash is a consequence of the fact that Russia continues to deliver weapons to the so-called separatists,” said Minister Radosław Sikorski, and stressed that it is very important to eradicate such causes of the conflict.

EU foreign ministers appealed to all the parties involved, in particular to the Russian authorities and separatists, to secure the crash site as soon as possible and to enable an effective investigation into the causes of the crash. The Council decided to expand sanctions against those who are responsible for the events in eastern Ukraine.

The Council’s conclusions on the situation in Ukraine include a recommendation to rapidly implement all decisions on sanctions that were adopted at the last European Council meeting (a list of names and companies), and obligate the EEAS and the EC to propose a third package of sanctions at the next Permanent Representatives Committee’s meeting on 24 July. “On Thursday, we should adopt sanctions against Russia targeted at defence, access to capital markets, and advanced technologies,” said Minister Sikorski after the meeting.

In their conclusions, the chiefs of diplomacy called on the separatists to ensure access to the crash site of the Malaysian Airlines passenger jet and appealed for a comprehensive, independent international investigation coordinated with the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

The tragic developments in the Middle East, Syria, Gaza and Iraq were also high on the meeting agenda. Foreign ministers of Eastern Partnership countries met on the sidelines of the FAC session. A meeting between the chiefs of diplomacy of the EU and ASEAN countries is scheduled to take place in Brussels on Wednesday.

Marcin Wojciechowski
MFA Press Spokesman