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The
EU and US have announced travel bans and asset freezes against a number
of officials from Russia and Ukraine. The moves follow Sunday's
referendum in Crimea, in which officials say 97% of voters backed
breaking away from Ukraine and joining ...
17 March 2014
Last updated at 14:30 ET
The individuals targeted by the sanctions are seen as having played a key role in the referendum, which Kiev, the US and EU deem illegal.
Pro-Russian forces have been in control of Crimea since late February.
Moscow says the troops are pro-Russian self-defence forces and not under its direct control.
If Moscow continued to intervene in Ukraine, he warned, it would "achieve nothing except to further isolate Russia and diminish its place in the world".
The EU published a list of sanctions against 21 Russian and Ukrainian officials after a meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels. The list includes the acting prime minister of Crimea, the speaker of Crimea's parliament, three senior Russian commanders and several senior Russian parliamentary officials.
"We regret that Russia has so far not engaged in negotiations with Ukraine," EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said in a press conference after the sanctions were announced.
UK Foreign Secretary William Hague told reporters the list was not "set in stone".
Thousands celebrated the results of the referendum across the Crimean peninsula
Not everyone was satisfied - many Crimean Tatars want the peninsula to stay with Ukraine
Pro-Russian activists have also taken to the streets in the south-eastern city of Donetsk in recent days
Kiev's Independence Square remains a memorial site for those killed in clashes with police last month
He said this depends on "how Russia reacts to the referendum in
Crimea which has been a mockery of any real democracy, and how they are
reacting to the possibility of discussions and direct negotiations with
Ukraine over the coming days".
The US said it had targeted seven top Russian government officials and lawmakers and four Crimea-based separatist leaders with financial sanctions for undermining "democratic processes and institutions in Ukraine".
The US list included Dmitry Rogozin, a Russian deputy prime minister, Valentina Matviyenko, head of the upper house of the Russian parliament and the ousted Ukrainian leader, Viktor Yanukovych.
Ukraine's acting President Oleksander Turchinov said Kiev was ready for negotiations with Russia, but it would never accept the annexation of Crimea.
In a televised address, Mr Turchinov said that any actions inciting mass disorder would be viewed as "abetting the military aggressor and a crime against the state".
The Kiev authorities earlier said they had recalled their ambassador to Moscow for consultation.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsya has welcomed the EU's decision to impose sanctions.
He told the BBC: "I think it's a step forward in mobilising the international community and confronting the Russian decision to violate international order and international laws. Crimea is an integral part of Ukraine."
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who is on the US sanctions list, says the measures will not affect those who do not have assets abroad, Reuters reports
"Comrade Obama, and what will you do with those who have neither accounts nor property abroad? Or didn't you think of that?" Mr Rogozin wrote on Twitter.
'Contact group' Monday's sanctions came hours after Crimea's parliament declared the region an independent state, following Sunday's referendum.
The document approved by MPs also appealed to "all countries of the world" to recognise Crimean independence.
The government in Kiev has said it will not recognise the results of the referendum.
Russia earlier proposed the formation of an international "contact group" to mediate in the crisis and seek changes in the constitution that would require Ukraine to uphold military and political neutrality.
But the authorities in Kiev have dismissed the proposal as "absolutely unacceptable", Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Yevhen Perebynis told Interfax Ukraine news agency.
Meanwhile, the parliament in Kiev has formally approved the partial mobilisation of 40,000 reservists and says it is monitoring the situation along the eastern border with Russia.
end quote from:Ukraine crisis: EU and US impose sanctions over Crimea
"There are consequences for their actions" - Barack Obama on the sanctions
The EU and US have announced travel bans and asset freezes against a number of officials from Russia and Ukraine.
The moves follow Sunday's referendum in Crimea, in which
officials say 97% of voters backed breaking away from Ukraine and
joining Russia.The individuals targeted by the sanctions are seen as having played a key role in the referendum, which Kiev, the US and EU deem illegal.
Pro-Russian forces have been in control of Crimea since late February.
Moscow says the troops are pro-Russian self-defence forces and not under its direct control.
Continue reading the main story
Full list of EU sanctions
Selection of officials targeted
- Dmitry Rogozin - Russian deputy PM (US)
- Valentina Matviyenko - head of Russia's upper house (US)
- Sergei Aksyonov - acting PM of Crimea (US and EU)
- Vladimir Konstantinov - speaker of Crimean parliament (US and EU)
- Viktor Yanukovych - former Ukrainian president (US)
- Andrei Klishas - member of Russia's upper house (US and EU)
- Leonid Slutsky - head of Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) parliamentary committee in Russia (US and EU)
- Sergei Zheleznyak - deputy speaker of Russia's state Duma (EU)
- Alexsandr Vitko - commander of Black Sea Fleet (EU)
Full list of EU sanctions
The crisis follows the ousting on
22 February of Ukraine's pro-Moscow president Viktor Yanukovych, who
had sparked months of street protests by rejecting a planned EU trade
deal in favour of closer ties with Moscow.
'Mockery'
US President Barack Obama said in a press conference that
Washington stood "ready to impose further sanctions" depending on
whether Russia escalated or de-escalated the situation in Ukraine.If Moscow continued to intervene in Ukraine, he warned, it would "achieve nothing except to further isolate Russia and diminish its place in the world".
The EU published a list of sanctions against 21 Russian and Ukrainian officials after a meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels. The list includes the acting prime minister of Crimea, the speaker of Crimea's parliament, three senior Russian commanders and several senior Russian parliamentary officials.
"We regret that Russia has so far not engaged in negotiations with Ukraine," EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said in a press conference after the sanctions were announced.
UK Foreign Secretary William Hague told reporters the list was not "set in stone".
Thousands celebrated the results of the referendum across the Crimean peninsula
Not everyone was satisfied - many Crimean Tatars want the peninsula to stay with Ukraine
Pro-Russian activists have also taken to the streets in the south-eastern city of Donetsk in recent days
Kiev's Independence Square remains a memorial site for those killed in clashes with police last month
The US said it had targeted seven top Russian government officials and lawmakers and four Crimea-based separatist leaders with financial sanctions for undermining "democratic processes and institutions in Ukraine".
The US list included Dmitry Rogozin, a Russian deputy prime minister, Valentina Matviyenko, head of the upper house of the Russian parliament and the ousted Ukrainian leader, Viktor Yanukovych.
Continue reading the main story
Crimea's declaration
According to the declaration approved by Crimean MPs, the region:- Becomes an independent state and applies to formally join Russia, with some autonomy
- Will adopt the Russia rouble as its currency within a month
- Will move to Moscow time (GMT+4 and two hours ahead of Kiev time) on 30 March
- Will offer Crimean soldiers the chance to join Russian military
"Today's actions send a strong
message to the Russian government that there are consequences for their
actions that violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of
Ukraine, including their actions supporting the illegal referendum for
Crimean separation,'' the White House said in a statement.
The EU has also shown its support for Ukraine by announcing
it will temporarily remove customs duties on Ukrainian exports to the
EU.Ukraine's acting President Oleksander Turchinov said Kiev was ready for negotiations with Russia, but it would never accept the annexation of Crimea.
In a televised address, Mr Turchinov said that any actions inciting mass disorder would be viewed as "abetting the military aggressor and a crime against the state".
The Kiev authorities earlier said they had recalled their ambassador to Moscow for consultation.
Catherine Ashton: "The EU doesn't and can't recognise the outcome of a referendum in these circumstances"
He told the BBC: "I think it's a step forward in mobilising the international community and confronting the Russian decision to violate international order and international laws. Crimea is an integral part of Ukraine."
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who is on the US sanctions list, says the measures will not affect those who do not have assets abroad, Reuters reports
"Comrade Obama, and what will you do with those who have neither accounts nor property abroad? Or didn't you think of that?" Mr Rogozin wrote on Twitter.
'Contact group' Monday's sanctions came hours after Crimea's parliament declared the region an independent state, following Sunday's referendum.
Continue reading the main story
Crisis timeline
- 21 Nov 2013: President Viktor Yanukovych abandons an EU deal
- Dec: Pro-EU protesters occupy Kiev city hall and Independence Square
- 20-21 Feb 2014: At least 88 people killed in Kiev clashes
- 22 Feb: Mr Yanukovych flees; parliament removes him and calls election
- 27-28 Feb: Pro-Russian gunmen seize key buildings in Crimea
- 6 Mar: Crimea's parliament votes to join Russia
- 16 Mar: Crimea voters choose to secede in disputed referendum
- 17 Mar: Crimean parliament declares independence and formally applies to join Russia
According to the parliamentary
vote, Ukrainian laws now no longer apply in the region, and all
Ukrainian state property belongs to an independent Crimea.
The peninsula will adopt the Russian currency, the rouble,
and clocks will move two hours forward to Moscow time by the end of
March.The document approved by MPs also appealed to "all countries of the world" to recognise Crimean independence.
The government in Kiev has said it will not recognise the results of the referendum.
Russia earlier proposed the formation of an international "contact group" to mediate in the crisis and seek changes in the constitution that would require Ukraine to uphold military and political neutrality.
But the authorities in Kiev have dismissed the proposal as "absolutely unacceptable", Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Yevhen Perebynis told Interfax Ukraine news agency.
Meanwhile, the parliament in Kiev has formally approved the partial mobilisation of 40,000 reservists and says it is monitoring the situation along the eastern border with Russia.
1 comment:
Obama's "consequences" will soon fizzle out. But shouldn't he be happy that so far no consequences followed the illegal intervention in Iraq with maybe a six figure death toll among civilians? NATO and the EU/US threatened (from the Russian point of view) Russia for years with ever greater expansion and the US has practically surrounded Russia (never forget the Afghanistan border etc.). Putin now calls the West's bluff and we'll see if the West dares do anything at all.
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