LONDON, July 23. /ITAR-TASS/. Political rifts inside the EU have not allowed the European Community to agree on the introduction of new sanctions against Russia over the situation in Ukraine, The Financial Times writes on Wednesday.

“Europe’s foreign ministers failed to agree new sanctions against Russia for its alleged role in the downing of MH17 despite a push by Britain, Sweden and a group of eastern European countries for an arms embargo to be imposed on the Kremlin,” the newspaper notes, summarizing the results of a meeting of the EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Tuesday.

“But an embargo met resistance from other EU countries, particularly France, which was forced to defend its decision to continue honouring a €1.2bn contract to sell Mistral-class helicopter assault ships to Russia,” FT writes. As a result, the “options for broader economic sanctions — including blocking Russian access to Europe’s capital markets and limits on military and other “sensitive technologies”, including in the energy sector,” are to be formulated by Thursday, the newspaper writes.

It also drew attention to the criticism of UK Prime Minister Davis Cameron voiced by Paris on Tuesday. A number or prominent politicians, including Jean-Christophe Cambadelis, head of the French ruling Socialist Party, urged London not to attack the plans on the Mistral ships. “This is a false debate led by hypocrites,” Mr. Cambadelis said. “When you see how many [Russian] oligarchs have sought refuge in London, David Cameron should start by cleaning up his own backyard.”

Previously, Cameron, the foreign ministers of Latvia and Lithuania both publicly chastised Paris over the deal, and Carl Bildt, Sweden’s outspoken foreign minister, said: “To deliver arms in this situation is somewhat difficult to defend, to put it mildly,” FT writes.

“The sanctions fight demonstrated deep divisions over Russia remained within the EU even after the MH17 downing,” the newspaper summarized.