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EU FMs to discuss situation in Ukraine's east and possible new sanctions against Russia

An EU Council official said sanctions might be applied against about 15 more citizens of the Russian Federation and five Crimea-based companies

© EPA/JULIEN WARNAND

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Putin to formulate his attitude to referenda in Ukraine's south-east on their results

BRUSSELS, May 12. /ITAR-TASS/. The foreign ministers of the 28 member-countries of the European Union (EU) will hold a routine meeting in the Belgian capital on Monday to consider possible consequences of the referendums held on Sunday in Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine. It is also planned to discuss advisability of application of additional sanctions with regard to Russia. An EU Council official said sanctions might be applied against about 15 more citizens of the Russian Federation and five Crimea-based companies.

Swiss President Didier Burkhalter, the Chairman-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), will attend the ministerial meeting. He is expected to brief the ministers on the results of his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on May 7, and on OSCE proposals about elaborating a roadmap for a way out of the crisis in Ukraine. The document contains such points as ceasefire, deescalation of tensions, the establishment of a dialogue, and the holding of elections.

Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council, will make a special visit to the Ukrainian capital on Monday to give moral support to Kiev and to discuss the course of preparation for presidential elections. The polls, scheduled for May 25, are under the threat of frustration owing to a special operation being conducted by Kiev's security forces in the country's south-eastern regions.

The European Commission will go ahead with a hurried preparation here for a May 13 "joint meeting" with the provisional government of Ukraine. Incidentally, according to availbale information, the meeting will involve only several members of the Verkhovna Rada-appointed Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers.

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Ukraine crisis EU

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