MOSCOW, February 24. /TASS/. The Kremlin is negative about Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s idea of introducing sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian government, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.
"It’s negative," Peskov replied to a TASS question about the Kremlin’s attitude to Rutte’s statement the EU should introduce personal sanctions against Putin and the Russian government.
As he dwelt on the possibility of retaliatory steps, Peskov called for analyzing events and calculating retaliatory moves gradually, as the problems come.
Earlier on Thursday Rutte said that "The Netherlands believes maximal sanctions must be imposed upon Putin and his government".
"We are not in conflict with the Russian people, it is Putin and his government that we must target," he told reporters.
New sanctions against Russia
The European Union on February 23 imposed a new package of sanctions against Russia following Moscow’s recognition of the sovereignty of the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics. It consists of four segments: personal sanctions against 351 State Duma members, 27 individuals and legal entities, restrictions on the Russian state’s and government’s access to the European financial market and a ban the European businesses’ transactions with the LPR and DPR.
Russian President Vladimir Putin declared the recognition of the independence of the LPR and DPR on February 21. Treaties on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance were signed with their leaders. This happened against a backdrop of soaring tensions in Donbass, massive artillery bombardments and the evacuation of civilians.
On Thursday morning Putin said that in response to a request from the leaders of the Donbas republics he had made a decision to conduct a special military operation. The Russian leader said Moscow’s plans did not include the occupation of Ukrainian territories.