Ukraine conflict: Even USA tighten sanctions against Russia – Tagesspiegel

Ukraine conflict: Even USA tighten sanctions against Russia – Tagesspiegel

20:04 clock Christopher Ziedler

Update First, there were concerns, but now the EU member states have agreed to new economic sanctions against Russia. Subsequently, the United States announced a tightening of measures to – among other things, against Russia’s largest financial institution.

The European Union and the USA have announced a further tightening of sanctions against Russia in the Ukraine crisis. The co-ordinated with the EU sanctions would be directed against the Russian financial, energy and defense sector, U.S. President Barack Obama said in Washington on Thursday. Details will be announced on Friday his government. “These measures will strengthen Russia’s political isolation and economic costs for Russia,” Obama said, according to a statement released by the White House.

The President threw Moscow before further “destabilize” to have the neighboring country last month.

where he referred to “the presence of heavily armed Russian troops in eastern Ukraine”. Notwithstanding the agreement to a ceasefire were still missing “conclusive evidence” for a change of Russian policy.

sanctions against Russia’s largest financial institution

According to news agency Reuters wants the U.S. government to prove the Sberbank, the largest financial institution in Russia with sanctions, as the report says familiar with the plans people on Thursday said. In five other Russian money worldwide, to the VTB Bank, Gazprombank, Bank of Mosow, VEB and Russian Agriculture Bank included, should the existing sanctions are tightened. Sberbank is majority owned by the Russian Central Bank, about 44 percent of the shares are held by foreign funds. The money house holds almost a third of the assets of the Russian banking sector, it is one of the largest lenders in the Russian economy and holds the largest share of savings deposits in Russia.

New EU sanctions against Russia on Friday

The EU ambassadors had decided on Thursday to make a beginning of the week laced package of sanctions on Friday to take effect. Shortly before the meeting on Thursday afternoon, which finally brought clarity, one had found from among the 28 EU ambassadors still clear words: “We can this limbo no longer afford, if we do not want to lose face.” What had happened? At the instigation of Heads of State and Government, who had announced new sanctions on 30 August view of the evidence for an active military role of Russia in Ukraine, their ambassador in Brussels agreed a week ago to a new package of sanctions.

It complicates inter alia, access to credit in the European market for the major oil companies and defense contractors in the Russian state-owned. In addition, the export are military and civil usable goods additional restrictions and other high-ranking politicians occupied by a travel ban and account lockouts. On Monday this week, the Council of Ministers formalized the decision by circulation.

So far everything is clear: However, some Member States diplomat said, according to that same time “Yes, but”, because in the meantime a ceasefire in the Ukraine had been agreed. “It’s about now not to destroy the peace process with sanctions,” said an EU diplomat said the Tagesspiegel. Therefore, it was the publication of the sanction decision in the EU Journal of Laws, with whom he enters into force, several times hinausgezögert- on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. One said to the processes familiar to officials, this retention of a decision is not provided for in the European law: “The Italian Presidency has since led us into uncharted territory.”

The role of Angela Merkel

In a telephone conversation on Thursday morning, agreed to want to end the back and forth on the issue of implementation. Merkel had the day before been publicly an implementation of the decision required in the Bundestag – contrary to her rumored otherwise mildness to Moscow, as it has always maintained, not wanting to keep diplomatic channels to Russian President Vladimir Putin tear.

A possible reason for this could be the latest evidence of NATO, which still 1,000 Russian soldiers are in the neighboring country – what the agreed peace plan zuwiderliefe.der Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko had recently said that as many as 70 percent of the Moscow soldiers had left the territory of his country.

20,000 Russian soldiers on the Ukrainian-Russian border

According to the findings of the NATO keep to the east still “about a thousand Russian soldiers” on. A representative of the military alliance said on Thursday in Brussels, moreover stood another 20,000 Russian soldiers on the Ukrainian-Russian border. The located in Ukraine Russian soldiers were equipped with “substantial” military means, the NATO officer said in a statement. The Ukrainian government and the pro-Russian separatists who control large areas in the east of the country, had agreed a ceasefire, which took effect last Friday. The agreement provides, inter alia, the exchange of prisoners and a “removal of all illegal armed groups, all heavy weapons, irregulars and mercenaries of Ukrainian territory” before.

The government in Kiev and the west throw Russia before, with his own soldiers intervene in the conflict in eastern Ukraine and to support the separatist military. Moscow denies this. In recent months, more than 2,700 people were killed in the fighting. At least 500,000 more fled.

The penalty skeptics, led by Russia’s neighbors Finland, who wanted to wait given the hopeful signs in the Ukraine even longer were calmed with a political statement made by the EU Council President Herman van Rompuy published on Thursday afternoon. It is clear that by the end of this month, a comprehensive review of the sanctions decided will take place – depending on the location in the eastern part of Ukraine. (with AP / AFP / Reuters)