Europe is preparing to sanction Russia again

TASS news agency on February 13 quoted a spokesman for the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office as saying that the agency is considering anti-Russian measures, corresponding to the actions of the US and Europe in response to the incident that occurred in the Kerch Strait in late 2018.

"The UK has been at the forefront of EU sanctions in response to Russia's actions in Ukraine. We fully supported the new sanctions last year in response to Russia's actions in the referendums in Crimea and Sevastopol, the construction of the Kerch Bridge and illegal elections in eastern Ukraine. In response to Russia's latest aggression in the Black Sea, we continue to work closely with our European partners to consider what concrete measures we can take," the spokesman said, stressing that new EU and US sanctions are under consideration.

On February 12, British television channel Sky News also cited private sources saying that the US and EU are preparing new sanctions packages against Russia to pressure Moscow to release Ukrainian sailors captured in the incident in the Sea of ​​Azov.

Initially, some EU member states hoped that the issue could be resolved through diplomatic channels. However, there is no sign that the Ukrainian sailors will be released by Russia anytime soon, forcing the UK and its allies to take continuous action to put pressure on Russia.

Meanwhile, the Financial Times said that new sanctions against Russia will be discussed specifically at the meeting of EU foreign ministers on February 18 and new sanctions could be announced within the next two months.

Another Western official said the new sanctions were expected to target entities and individuals involved in the detention of the Ukrainian warships. Talks are now underway at the working group level to blacklist more Russian individuals and freeze more assets.

Huy Vu