The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, on Monday 21 March denounced the war crimes committed in Ukraine by the Russian armed forces.
“All Member States are united in denouncing war crimes and the violation of international law”, he stressed at the end of the Foreign Affairs Council. “What is happening in Ukraine is a massive war crime committed by the Russian armed forces against Ukrainians, which cannot go unpunished”, the High Representative warned, welcoming international initiatives in this regard. He also said that the Russian President “deserved the strongest condemnation from the civilised world”.
For Mr Borrell, Russia was not waging “a war”, but “a massive destruction of the country, without any consideration for the laws of war”.
He therefore insisted on the “absolute necessity” of ending the war, starting with a ceasefire. “The suffering in Mariupol, the people bombed, killed, starving, having to flee... it must stop”, he urged.
Additional military support
Pledging that the EU and Member States would continue to support Ukraine on humanitarian (see other news), political, financial and military grounds, Borrell announced that Member States had given their political agreement to an additional €500 million through the European Peace Facility. The decision could be formally adopted after a vote in the German Bundestag on Wednesday 23 March.
On his arrival at the Council, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis also called on his counterparts to provide the equipment promised for those who will not be doing so. “If we are serious about giving Ukraine a chance to defend its country, we have to be serious about the weapons we provide”, he added, saying that it was not necessary to have big and sophisticated weapons, but enough to stop tanks and shoot down planes.
Debate on additional sanctions
The ministers also discussed new sanctions against Russia. According to Borrell, while the aim was not to take a decision, the subject should be brought back to the heads of state or government at their summit on Thursday and they could give further indications. “We are ready to take additional measures”, in coordination with international partners, to put pressure on Russia, the EU diplomatic chief warned.
On their arrival at the Council, several ministers had expressed the view that additional measures were needed. “It is important to continue along this path”, said the Danish minister, citing access to sea ports for Russian and Belarusian carriers, as did his Slovenian counterpart, Anže Logar, who also called for a ban on the import of energy products.
“It is inevitable that we have to talk about the energy sector, oil, which is the biggest income for the Russian budget and can easily be replaced” for Europe, Landsbergis explained. Irish Minister Simon Coveney said he was open to energy sanctions. He said “it is hard to make the case we shouldn’t be moving in particular on oil and coal”.
In contrast, Hungarian Minister Péter Szijjártó again made it clear that his country would not support sanctions against Russian gas imports. The Kremlin, for its part, warned that a European embargo on Russian oil would hit “everyone”.
On 19 March, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki proposed a total halt in trade between Russia and the EU. “Shutting down trade with Russia completely would force it to consider stopping this cruel war”, he specified.
This call was also relayed by the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky. In a video posted on social networks, he called on the EU to stop “all trade” with Russia, including gas supplies: “Without trade with you, without your companies and banks, Russia will have no money for this war”, he said.
Several European heads of diplomacy also felt that pressure should be put on third countries to isolate Russia on the international stage. According to Jeppe Kofod of Denmark, Europe should discuss how to use the EU’s economic weight and political importance to ensure that third countries choose “the right side of history”, join the EU in condemning the war, isolating Russia and stopping the war. For Landsbergis, third states that help Russia should face the same sanctions as those imposed on Russia. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant with Léa Marchal)