Russia condemns European Union for extending sanctions

Russia yesterday called the European Union's extension of sanctions imposed on it over the annexation of Crimea "intimidation" and said Moscow would not return the peninsula to Ukraine under pressure.

The Russian Foreign Ministry on Smolenskaya Square in Moscow. Photo: Reuters.

"Crimea and Sevastopol are an inseparable part of the Russian Federation. It is time to recognize this as a fact that cannot be changed by economic and political blackmail," AFP quoted a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry as saying.

The statement described the sanctions as "unpromising" and criticized the European Union's (EU) decision to extend them on June 19 as "discriminatory".

Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula in March 2014, after the overthrow of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. Moscow cited the result of a referendum in Crimea, in which most people voted for the peninsula to return to Russia, as the reason for the move.

The EU responded by imposing asset freezes and visa bans on separatist leaders and Russian officials it said were "plotting to take Crimea from Ukraine".

The EU has also expanded its sanctions list for Crimea, including banning imports from the peninsula and banning investment there. Meanwhile, the 28-nation alliance still maintains economic sanctions against Russia because of its belief in Moscow's involvement in the separatist movement in eastern Ukraine.

The EU’s June 19 extension also applies to measures agreed to on Russia since June 2014, including a ban on cruise ships using Crimean ports and a ban on the export of telecommunications and transport equipment to the peninsula. The EU extended the sanctions until June 2016 and condemned the “illegal annexation”.

According to vnexpress