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Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba
Photo: CAROLYN KASTER / AFP
Ukraine is calling on the West to take significantly harsher action against the Russian economy.
"More sanctions" are needed against Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, wrote Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in an appeal on Twitter.
"Meet his business and his cronies," Kuleba wrote.
“Hit hard.
Strike now.«
The first sanctions have already been imposed - and Ukraine is "grateful" for that.
"Now the pressure needs to be increased to stop Putin," Kuleba added.
On Monday, Putin recognized the self-proclaimed People's Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine and sent troops to allegedly "keep the peace".
The process had caused international outrage, it violates international law.
The USA, the EU states and Great Britain, among others, had reacted to the Russian actions with sanctions.
The new EU sanctions include putting those 351 members of the Russian parliament on the sanctions list who voted to recognize the self-proclaimed People's Republics of Luhansk and Donetsk.
There are also penalties against 27 other people and organizations.
The Russian state's access to the EU financial markets is to be curtailed and the EU's trade with the breakaway regions is to be restricted.
The US government announced sanctions against two major Russian banks, against the trading of Russian government bonds and against supporters of Putin and their families.
"Proceed as one"
The federal government had also suspended the approval process for the operation of the Russian-German Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline.
According to the Russian gas company Gazprom, the pipeline was completed in September 2021 and is intended to bring gas from Russia to Germany.
Because of the further escalation, the government in Washington and the EU Commission have already indicated that they are ready for further sanctions.
Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) said in the ARD "Tagesthemen" that it was "centrally important at the moment that Europe and the USA proceed as one" and "neither enter into a race to outbid or undercut sanctions".
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