BRUSSELS, July 22. /ITAR-TASS/. The foreign ministers of 28 EU member states have decided to expand sanctions against individuals and companies in Russia and Ukraine that, in their opinion, are responsible for escalation of the conflict in the south-east of Ukraine, a diplomatic source in the European Council told an ITAR-TASS correspondent after a meeting of EU’s foreign ministers in Brussels.
“A new list of those sanctioned will be prepared by Thursday,” the source said.
“The EU Council asked us to look at the legal base on which we are operating in order that we could potentially expand (sanctions against Russia),” the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for the European Union Catherine Ashton said before the meeting.
Expansion of sanctions against Russia
On July 17, the EU summit instructed the European Commission, the EU’s executive body,to draft the expansion of the blacklist for Russia and Ukraine by the end of July. The list will include Russian and Ukrainian organizations and individuals who provided material or financial support to actions the communique claims undermine Ukraine’s territorial integrity, including Crimea’s accession to Russia.
The summit also suspended the signing of new financial agreements with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Investment Bank (EIB), as well as announced suspension of some European programs of assistance to Russia.
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