On Wednesday 23 February, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, convened a special European Council in Brussels for the evening of the following day to discuss the latest developments in the Russia-Ukraine crisis. The US believes that a Russian attack on Ukraine is imminent.
In his letter of invitation to EU leaders, Mr Michel explains that he wants EU leaders to address ways to protect the rules-based international order, relations with Russia, “including holding it accountable for its actions”, and support for Ukraine and its people. This support could, among other things, be financial, according to a European diplomat.
“It is reasonable to prepare for new developments”, said a European diplomat, adding that it was necessary to take stock of the situation to adapt the European response, including with new sanctions, if necessary. “We are still in a moment of grave danger”, he added.
According to him, the risk of a migration crisis could also be addressed.
“The use of force and coercion to change borders has no place in the 21st century”, the President of the European Council warned in his letter of invitation. He considered that the aggressive Russian actions violated international law as well as the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and undermined the European security order. Mr Michel recalled that it was important for Member States to remain “united and determined” and to define their approach and collective actions together.
Sanctions against several ministers and senior army officers
In parallel to the summit announcement, Member States formally adopted the sanctions announced the day before by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell (see EUROPE 12896/1).
In particular, they decided to sanction several hundred people who are undermining the territorial integrity of Ukraine, both in connection with the Donbass and Crimea.
At press time, the legal acts related to the decisions were still not public, but according to a document obtained by EUROPE, in addition to the 351 members of the Duma who voted for the recognition of the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk ‘People’s Republics’, the EU has imposed restrictive measures on four Russian ministers: Defence Minister Sergei Shugu, Deputy Prime Minister for Construction and Regional Development Marat Khusnullin, Minister for Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov, and Deputy Prime Minister and Head of Government Personnel Dmitriy Grigorenko. The Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office, Anton Vaino, is also being sanctioned.
Several senior military officers are also affected by the measures: the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, Nikolai Yevmenov, and his deputy, Vladimir Kasatonov, the Commanders-in-Chief of the Black Sea Fleet, Igor Osipov, of the Russian Land Forces, Oleg Salyukov, and of the Russian Aerospace Forces, Sergey Surovikin, and the Commander of the Air Forces, Sergey Dronov.
In addition, businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, who is close to Vladimir Putin and unofficial head of the Wagner Group, is subject to sanctions, as are his mother and his wife.
The EU is also adopting measures against several “government propaganda” officials, including Maria Zakharova, head of the Foreign Ministry’s information and press department, and Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of the English-language television news network Russia Today.
Finally, the Internet Research Agency, whose “primary goal is to manipulate public opinion”, the “personal bank “ of senior Russian officials, Bank Rossiya, the state bank, Promsvyazbank, and the financial development institution VEB.RF are subject to an asset freeze.
In addition to targeted sanctions, the EU has adopted restrictions on economic relations with the non-government-controlled areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. The decision introduces, among other things, an import ban on goods from the ‘People’s Republics’, restrictions on trade and investment in certain economic sectors, a ban on the provision of tourist services and an export ban on certain goods and technologies.
The EU Council also decided to restrict the ability of the Russian state and government to access EU capital markets and financial markets and services.
See the legal acts : https://bit.ly/3sg59bK
Accession to the EU
In addition, in a joint declaration with their Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, adopted on 23 February, the Polish President, Andrzej Duda, and the Lithuanian President, Gitanas Nauseda, considered that Ukraine deserved EU candidate status. “We underline that in view of the significant progress in the implementation of the Association Agreement and internal reforms as well as the current security challenges, Ukraine deserves the status of candidate to the European Union, and Lithuania and Poland will support Ukraine in achieving this goal”, the statement says. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)