Ukraine presents EU with plan to sanction Russia
Ukraine asks EU to consider new sanctions against Russia, amid US refusal to take joint action.
Ukraine will ask the EU next week to consider major new steps to isolate Moscow, including seizing Russian assets and imposing sanctions on some countries that buy Russian oil, Reuters reported, citing US President Donald Trump’s delay in tightening sanctions.
A previously unpublished Ukrainian white paper to be presented to the EU calls on the 27-member bloc to take a tougher and more independent stance on sanctions amid uncertainty over Washington's future role.
Among the 40 pages of recommendations is a call for legislation that would speed up the EU’s seizure of assets of sanctioned individuals and transfer them to Ukraine. Those sanctioned could then seek compensation from Russia.
The EU should consider a range of steps to apply stronger sanctions outside its territory, including targeting foreign companies that use EU technology to help Russia and “imposing secondary sanctions on buyers of Russian oil”.
Such secondary sanctions – which could hit big buyers like India and China – would be a major step that Europe has so far been reluctant to take. US President Donald Trump has discussed the issue publicly, before deciding not to impose new sanctions on Russia.
Ukraine's white paper also calls on the EU to consider using more majority decisions on sanctions, to prevent individual countries from blocking measures that require unanimous approval from the entire membership.
The European Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Ukrainian document.
Earlier, after a phone call with the Russian leader, President Trump decided not to impose new sanctions on Russia. This dashed the hopes of European and Ukrainian leaders - who had been actively lobbying Mr. Trump for weeks to increase pressure on Moscow.
A source familiar with the matter told Reuters that Mr Trump spoke to Ukrainian and European leaders after his call with Mr Putin and told them he did not want to impose sanctions right away and wanted time for negotiations to take place.
The EU and Britain imposed further sanctions on Russia on May 20, and said they still hoped Washington would join them. Europe is openly discussing ways it can maintain pressure on Russia if Washington is no longer willing to participate.
