BRUSSELS, July 31 (RIA Novosti) – The European Union is expected to call on other states to join the economic sanctions against Russia which were announced on Thursday, the European Council said.
“In order to maximize the impact of the measures referred to in this Decision, the Union shall encourage third States to adopt restrictive measures similar to those provided for herein,” the statement published in the EU Official Journal said.
Earlier the EU partner countries – Montenegro, Iceland, Albania, Liechtenstein, Norway, Moldova and Ukraine - joined the EU sanctions against individuals and entities for their alleged role in destabilizing Ukraine.
The European Union officially barred Russia’s biggest state-run banks — Sberbank, VTB, Gazprombank, Vnesheconombank and Rosselkhozbank — from raising financing on western capital markets Thursday.
The first round of sanctions against Russia was implemented by the United States and the European Union back in March as a response to Crimea’s reunification with Russia following a referendum. Moscow has repeatedly said that the measures are counterproductive, and labelled the sanctions «a road to nowhere."
