Brussels, 02/05/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 2 May, EU High Representative Catherine Ashton called for a reduction in violence in Ukraine. At a press conference with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, she said it was absolutely crucial that there was no pursuit of violence and it was absolutely crucial to see a reduction in the occupation of buildings.
Earlier in the day, Ashton's spokesperson Maja Kocijancic said that a de-escalation was needed, but would not comment on the military action by Kiev against pro-Russian separatists in Slaviansk. She said buildings must be evacuated, a de-escalation was needed rather than an escalation. This, she said, was the direction that events needed to take and all the EU's efforts were in that direction. Asked about the EU's support for this military action, Kocijancic said she had “nothing to add at this stage”. A few minutes earlier, she had said that the independent use of violence by a state had to be respected and that it was a state's responsibility to ensure the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. She called for an end to all illegal action by armed separatist groups, be it the occupation of buildings or the detention of individuals, including OSCE observers. She said the Geneva agreement had to be implemented as a matter of urgency, noting that the EU was watching the events in Ukraine with growing concern.
Russia accuses the West
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius said Ukraine had the right and the obligation to use direct force, if necessary, to quell pro-Russian separatist movements in the eastern part of the country, but a Kremlin spokesman said that, as far as Russia was concerned, this broke the Geneva agreement because planes were used to fire on civilian areas, thus launching a reprisal operation and destroying the last hope of viability of the Geneva agreement. Russia's Foreign Ministry said this use of the army against its own people was a crime that would lead Ukraine to disaster and that, by backing the Kiev authorities, the United States and the EU were taking huge responsibility by de facto blocking the path to a peaceful solution of the crisis. It added that Russia firmly demands that the West abandon its disastrous policy against Ukraine.
EU may extend its phase 2 sanctions list
Kocijancic said that there had been intensive debate among COPS and Coreper ambassadors during the week, who had looked into the question of further phase 2 restrictions. An EU source said they were also looking at the legal basis for sanctions against individuals and discussions would continue at the start of next week. (CG)