EU ministers to impose new sanctions on Russia
European Union foreign ministers have decided on Wednesday to formulate new sanctions on Russia and increase weapons’ deliveries to Kyiv.
The decision was reached as the bloc’s 27 foreign ministers convened in New York for the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations.
This comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the country’s first wartime mobilisation since World War Two to attack Ukraine.
According to EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, Putin’s announcement – which included moves to annex swaths of Ukrainian territory and a threat to use nuclear weapons to defend Russia – showed panic and desperation.
“It’s clear that Putin is trying to destroy Ukraine,” Borrell said.
After being briefed by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, the ministers agreed to task their teams to prepare an eighth sanctions package that would target “more relevant sectors of the Russian economy and continue targeting people responsible for the war of aggression in Ukraine,” Borrell said.
EU ministers will hold their next formal meeting in mid-October when a sanctions package could be formalised.
Also, the ministers decided to ramp up weapons supplies to Ukraine. Borrell refused to give further details on the type of sanctions or military support, but said he believed there would be “unanimous” support within the bloc for new measures.
Speaking to Reuters in an interview, Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said Putin was trying to intimidate and divide the West, but his latest comments were a “game-changing moment.”
He said Wednesday’s meeting should underscore unity, move ahead quickly with a new sanctions package and use the European peace facility funding mechanism to ramp up weapons supplies to Ukraine.
“We should also declare the commitment of legal responsibility. The fuhrers in the Kremlin should not take it for granted that their accountability for the genocidal war should be taken mildly,” he added.
“It’s different now, there is a saying in aviation that regulations are written with the blood of victims of air catastrophes. Well all the (sanctions) packages are written with the blood and atrocities Russia has committed.” Reinsalu said.
