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Sanctions against Russia: EU takes action - Putin's parliament is also punished, but he himself gets away with it

2022-02-23T04:58:45.816Z


Sanctions against Russia: EU takes action - Putin's parliament is also punished, but he himself gets away with it Created: 02/23/2022, 05:50 By: Richard Strobl, Maximilian Kettenbach, Bedrettin Bölükbasi Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, attends a press conference as part of the EU-Africa Summit. © Johanna Geron/dpa Russia has recognized the independence of the pro-Ru


Sanctions against Russia: EU takes action - Putin's parliament is also punished, but he himself gets away with it

Created: 02/23/2022, 05:50

By: Richard Strobl, Maximilian Kettenbach, Bedrettin Bölükbasi

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, attends a press conference as part of the EU-Africa Summit.

© Johanna Geron/dpa

Russia has recognized the independence of the pro-Russian separatist areas in eastern Ukraine.

The West now wants to respond with massive sanctions.

  • Russia has announced that it will send troops to eastern Ukraine.

  • The EU decided on sanctions against Russia on Tuesday (see update from February 22, 7:30 p.m.)

  • This news ticker is updated regularly.

Update from February 22, 9:33 p.m

.: The EU has imposed far-reaching sanctions on Russia.

However, President Vladimir Putin is not on the EU sanctions list for the time being.

This was confirmed on Tuesday by the EU foreign policy representative Joseph Borrell.

According to

ntv

, he said: "Mr. Putin is not on the list of sanctioned persons".

The reason he gave was that it was necessary to keep further sanctions in reserve.

Update from February 22, 9:26 p.m .:

According to the current EU Council Presidency, the new EU sanctions against Russia should come into force this Wednesday.

The French presidency announced on Tuesday evening that the technical and legal checks that were still necessary would take place overnight.

Formal acceptance and publication in the EU Official Journal are planned for Wednesday.

The penalties will come into force upon publication in the Official Journal.

Ukraine conflict: EU imposes new sanctions

Update from February 22, 7.30 p.m .:

The EU has decided on new sanctions against Russia.

The foreign ministers of the member states thus followed a proposal by the EU Commission.

The penalties will come into effect later this week.

The sanction package includes the following penalties:

  • Trading ban on Russian government bonds.

    This is intended to make financing the Russian state more difficult.

  • The free trade rules with Ukraine should no longer apply to the areas in the east of the country.

  • Several hundred people and companies are said to be on the EU sanctions list.

This should also affect 351 members of the Russian parliament who voted for the recognition of the self-proclaimed People's Republics.

In addition, there are 27 individuals and organizations who contribute to undermining the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.

Banks that do business in eastern Ukraine are also said to be affected.

Companies or individuals that are on the EU sanctions list will have all assets in the EU frozen.

In addition, they are no longer allowed to enter the country and no business can be done with them.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke to CNN of a first round of sanctions.

The background is that it is not yet a military invasion.

If so, a “massive” second round of sanctions would follow.

Update from February 22, 2:28 p.m

.: The EU sanctions for Russia are becoming more specific.

They target banks, financial markets, as well as trade with the country.

This was announced by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President Charles Michel in Brussels on Tuesday.

According to them, the draft sanctions package provides for, among other things, restricted access for Russia to the EU's capital and financial markets.

The aim is to significantly limit Russia's ability to "finance an aggressive policy aimed at escalation," the statement said.

Accordingly, "banks that finance Russia's military and other operations" in eastern Ukraine are also subject to sanctions.

Also affected is trade with the pro-Russian separatist regions of Luhansk and Donetsk.

In addition, sanctions are planned against those responsible who were involved in the "illegal decision" to recognize the separatist areas by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

This could affect Russian members of parliament, for example, who had called on Putin to take the step.

According to reports, accounts are to be blocked and entry bans into the EU are planned.

Appropriate sanctions had previously been discussed

(see initial report)

.

In addition, the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline will be stopped for the time being, but this is not an EU decision but a German decision.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced the decision on Tuesday afternoon.

Britain is also imposing economic sanctions on Russia.

As Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced in the House of Commons in London on Tuesday, five Russian banks and three wealthy Russian citizens will be subject to targeted sanctions.

Their assets in the UK will be frozen and travel to the UK will be banned.

This is just the first tranche of sanctions, Johnson said.

Ukraine conflict: EU sanctions on Russia unexpectedly far-reaching - Nord Stream 2 at an end

First report:

Moscow/Kiev - It seems so far: Russia is now apparently actually invading Ukrainian territory.

Despite all warnings from the West, President Vladimir Putin recognized the independence of the pro-Russian separatist areas in eastern Ukraine in a speech on Monday evening.

After addressing the nation, Putin signed friendship agreements with the self-declared "People's Republics" on Monday evening, then sent the Russian army to "peacekeeping" in eastern Ukraine, causing a further, dramatic escalation of the Ukraine conflict. 

Ukraine conflict: USA and Europe prepare sanctions against Russia - "clear breach of Minsk"

The US, France and Germany have announced a joint response to Russia's recognition of separatist areas in eastern Ukraine.

Putin's step represents a "clear breach of the Minsk Agreement" and was "strongly" condemned by Washington, Paris and Berlin, said the spokesman for the federal government, Steffen Hebestreit, on Monday evening after a phone call between the heads of state and government.

"This step will not remain unanswered."

But what are the sanctions now?

That still seems uncertain.

The White House announced on Monday that US President Joe Biden will issue an executive order to criminalize investment in, trade in and financing of the self-proclaimed "People's Republics" of Donetsk and Luhansk by US citizens.

Sanctions could also be imposed on anyone "who wanted to operate in these areas of Ukraine."

Biden's spokeswoman Jen Psaki also announced "additional measures" to respond to Russia's "blatant breach" of its international commitments.

At the same time, she stressed that the punitive measures now announced are separate from those that the United States and its allies would impose should Russia invade Ukraine.

Ukraine conflict: EU sanctions against Russia on the way - financial and economic measures

The EU will also react to Russia's decision with sanctions.

The punitive measures should hit those involved in the action, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Council President Charles Michel announced on Monday evening.

Both condemned Putin's actions in the strongest possible terms.

It was initially unclear what sanctions would be imposed.

The EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell had already pointed out before the Russian recognition that a sanctions package with various components was being prepared.

The Spaniard explained that these components could be put into effect depending on the extent of the respective Russian aggression.

He has called an informal emergency meeting

for today

(February 22) , he said.

In this meeting, the EU will determine an answer to Putin's escalation.

"That response will take the form of sanctions," Borrell said, adding, "We must act quickly."

And that means this afternoon.” At the same time, however, he emphasized that one cannot yet speak of a “full-fledged” invasion, but that Russian troops are on Ukrainian soil.

In detail: According to earlier information from von der Leyen, the package prepared by the EU includes asset freezes and EU entry bans on individuals as well as financial and economic sanctions.

For example, export bans could be imposed on important high-tech components and Russia's access to international financial markets could be impeded.

According to EU diplomats, the focus is on the Russian coal, oil and gas sectors.

Now more details about the sanctions plans of the EU came to light.

According to information from the German Press Agency, the EU Commission has unexpectedly proposed far-reaching sanctions against Russia.

According to diplomats, a draft presented to the member states envisages a ban on trading in Russian government bonds in order to make it more difficult for the Russian state to refinance.

In addition, several hundred people and companies are said to be on the EU sanctions list. 

Ukraine conflict: end of Nord Stream 2 after Putin's decision - pipeline probably also included in the EU package

As part of the sanctions against Russia, Germany is already taking the first powerful action.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced the stop of the Nord Stream 2 project.

US President Biden recently stressed several times that in the event of an attack on Ukraine, the natural gas pipeline from Russia to East Germany would not go into operation.

The USA has already imposed punitive measures against companies or individuals involved in the past.

So far, the EU has said that no Russian gas can flow through the pipeline for the time being.

Von der Leyen refers to the pending certification of the gas pipe by the Federal Network Agency and then by the EU Commission.

Both are likely to take a long time.

Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir (Greens) had previously spoken out in favor of stopping Nord Stream 2.

"That was always our position, nothing has changed about that," said the Green politician on

Deutschlandfunk

.

“We have to push this through together in the federal government.

I hope that our coalition partners will see things the same way.

Now, at the latest, is the time to put this project on hold and make it clear: Please switch all switches to renewable energies now," Özdemir appealed.

The Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) has already signaled that Nord Stream 2 is also included in the prepared European sanctions package.

The Chancellor emphasized that the EU had prepared an "intensive sanctions regime", which also included the non-commissioning of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.

The planned sanctions can be “activated at the push of a button”, whereby circumvention is “impossible” or “made as difficult as possible” due to the good preparation by the EU Commission.

Shortly before Scholz's announcement, the Ukrainian head of state, Volodymyr Zelensky, had again called for the "immediate" stop of the Baltic Sea peline.

In view of the "new aggressive action against Ukraine", sanctions must be imposed immediately, Zelenskyj said in Kiev, with a view to the recent escalation in the conflict with Russia.

"These sanctions must include the complete halt to Nord Stream 2," the President said.

Ukraine sanctions against Russia: Habeck warns of impact on Germany - "could hit hard"

What would the new Russia sanctions mean for Germany?

Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) already admitted in the

Handelsblatt

that the sanctions could also “hit the German economy hard”.

In Brussels, it is considered likely that energy prices will continue to soar - for example if Russia retaliates with gas deliveries.

According to media reports, compensation payments for sectors or countries that would be hit particularly hard are under discussion in the EU.

Since the annexation of Crimea in 2014, the EU has imposed sanctions on Russia several times, but President Putin has not been impressed.

Entry bans and bank accounts are currently in place against 185 Russians and Ukrainians as well as 48 companies and organizations.

Economic sanctions are also aimed at Russian state banks and the oil and gas industry.

There is also an arms embargo.

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2022-02-23

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