BRUSSELS, April 11 (RIA Novosti), Vladimir Dobrovolsky – The EU is unlikely to broaden sanctions against Russia at an upcoming meeting of foreign ministers as the European Commission has yet to decide on appropriate measures, an EU representative told RIA Novosti on Friday.
European foreign ministers, who are meeting in Luxembourg on Monday, will have to wait for the commission to finish its work first, the source said on condition of anonymity.
The EU could discuss broadening the list of sanctions against individuals on Friday at a meeting of EU envoys, the source said, adding that new sanctions would take time to be formulated and would not be announced on Monday.
In February, the Ukrainian parliament, backed by far-right movements, ousted from power President Viktor Yanukovych, amended the constitution and scheduled an early presidential election for May 25. The coup sparked concerns, including in Crimea, about the dangers of ultranationalist forces in the country's central government.
A referendum in Crimea last month saw over 90 percent of Crimean citizens vote to join Russia. Following the vote, Crimea declared independence from Ukraine and signed a treaty to rejoin Russia on March 18. The reunification treaty was ratified by the Russian president and parliament the same week.
The US considers the reunification of Russia and Crimea to be illegitimate. Washington and Brussels have already imposed targeted economic sanctions on several Russian officials, including visa bans and asset freezes. Although the EU has not announced a final decision on further sanctions, it has threatened to impose them if the situation around Ukraine escalates further.
Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said Thursday that the threat of sanctions against Russia will not change Moscow’s policies, no matter what measures the United States, Germany, or other Western countries have in mind.
