Expansion of EU sanctions will affect Russian deputies and officials
The European Union is considering the possibility of introducing additional restrictive measures against high-ranking Russian officials because of the situation in Ukraine. This was reported on Wednesday by the German DPA news agency, citing a source in Brussels. According to the publication, the relevant decision was made in preparation for the meeting of the Council of the European Union on foreign affairs, which is scheduled for February 9.
The EU sanctions list may include a number of Russian deputies and deputy ministers. If such a decision is made, these officials will be banned from issuing Schengen visas, and their accounts in the EU will be frozen. It is about expanding the sanction list to five citizens of Russia and "14 Ukrainian separatists," the DPA reports.
Earlier on Wednesday, Reuters, citing a senior official, said that US Vice President Joe Biden is going to discuss with the leaders of the EU countries the situation in Ukraine and possible additional sanctions against Russia. According to the publication, at a meeting that will be tentatively 6-8 February on the eve of the annual Munich Security Conference, Biden will meet with President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
On January 29 in Brussels, the foreign ministers of the EU countries decided to extend the anti-Russian sanctions for half a year due to the worsening situation in Ukraine, as well as the breakdown of the next round of Minsk talks, which were to be held in mid-January. Now the EU is preparing new sanctions, the final decision should be made 9 February.
Sanctions against Russia were imposed by the EU and the US in 2014, in response to the annexation of the Crimea and the conflict in south-eastern Ukraine. The sanctions imply, inter alia, a ban on the transfer of technologies for deep oil production and the development of the Arctic shelf to Russian companies. In response to sanctions, Russia has banned the import of certain types of food products from Western countries for a year. A number of Russian officials, politicians and businessmen have fallen under personal sanctions.
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