(Bloomberg) European Union nations edged closer to tightening sanctions against Russia as fighting between government troops and rebels consumed the front line in eastern Ukraine in the deadliest escalation since a September truce.
The EU will add more individuals this week to a list of those facing visa bans and asset freezes over Russia’s involvement in the conflict, Latvian President Andris Berzins, whose country holds the 28-nation bloc’s rotating presidency, said in an interview Monday. The recent events in Ukraine are “more than worrying,” French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said, with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier warning that more attacks would prompt an EU response. […]
“There is a military weakening of Ukraine, coupled with diplomatic strengthening.” Arkady Moshes, head of the EU’s Eastern Neighborhood and Russia research program at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, said by phone. “The people in the EU who were spreading documents advocating a return to business as usual with Russia, have a lot less influence now.”
See the full article ("EU Renews Push for Russia Sanctions as Clashes Sweep Ukraine") © Bloomberg
