No decisions on further sanctions against Russia taken by EU - spokesperson

BRUSSELS, April 10. /ITAR-TASS/. The European Union has not yet taken any decisions on possible expansion of sanctions against Russia, Maja Kosijancic, a Spokesperson of Catherine Ashton, the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said on Thursday, commenting on Western media allegations about a sanction list of 130 Russian officials.

She said that the European Commission was considering a possible list of measures to toughen the sanction regime in the event of the escalation of the situation in Ukraine. The issue, in her words, would be discussed at a meeting of foreign ministers from 28 European Union countries scheduled to be held in Luxembourg on April 14.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Permanent Representative at the European Union, Vladimir Chizhov told ITAR-TASS that there was no official confirmation about sanction list decisions. “We do not comment on media reports,” he said.

An officer of the European Commission’s foreign policy service told ITAR-Tass that blacklists offered by various international organizations and individual countries of the European Union were circulated in the media ever since February, but this fact did not mean that these measures would be finally taken or that all the 28 European Union’s member countries shared these approaches. Any amendments to the sanction list could be passed only on the basis of consensus among all the European Union member states, she added.

As of today, the European Union’s blacklist includes 33 names, including government members, lawmakers, army officers and representatives from the Crimean regional authorities. These people have been temporarily banned to enter the European Union. Moreover, their accounts with European banks, if any, have been blocked.

According to available information, on April 14, foreign ministers from the European Union member states will try to agree a statement placing the responsibility for growing protests in Ukraine’s eastern regions on Russia. Apart from that, the blacklist of Russian officials might be expanded by ten to 15 names. Trade and economic sanctions have not yet been discussed.