European Union (EU) foreign ministers unanimously agreed on Tuesday (22) on a first package of sanctions against Russia, after the announcement of recognition of the breakaway territories of Donetsk and Lugansk.
The announcement was made by the head of French diplomacy, Jean-Yves Le Drian, who gave an interview with Spanish Josep Borrell, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
The sanctions, which must be formally approved by the European Union, affect a total of 27 institutions and people, among them decision-makers who played an important role in the attack on Ukraine’s sovereignty, Borrell explained.
In addition, Russia’s financial access “to our financial and capital markets” will be limited, especially to prevent it from being able to finance its debt in European markets.
The sanctions “will affect Russia, and will affect it a lot”, assured the representative of the European Union, who assured that he was responding quickly to events.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is not among the individuals targeted by EU sanctions, according to Borrell.
“Putin is not on the sanctioned list. We wanted to respond with the means we have, but mainly to give a gradual response”, explained Borrell at the press conference.
Despite everything, Borrell assured that the bloc will continue diplomatic efforts to prevent “a new eruption of war in the heart of Europe”.
The Spanish diplomat, however, admitted that the risk of a large-scale conflict “is real, and we have to prevent it”.
Before the meeting, Borrell and the ministers of Germany, France and Italy participated in a videoconference session between the holders of the G7 Foreign Affairs portfolios, a meeting that aimed to align the group’s response.
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