Ukraine Crisis: New EU Sanctions against Russia  

For the last nine months Europe has been gripped by the crisis in Ukraine. For years Europe and Russia have enjoyed increasing economic and political co-operation, but in March 2014 Russia illegally annexed Crimea, breaching the sovereignty of Ukraine and escalating tensions in the region. This represents a loss of 4,5% of territory – the equivalent to Brazil loosing Goias and Espírito Santo.

This isn’t a return to the ideological divides of the Cold War, but the evidenced flow of Russian troops, tanks and arms into eastern Ukraine has demonstrated further disregard of international law and fuelled conflict and instability. The Ukranian Defence Minister estimates that 3,500 Russian soldiers remain in eastern Ukraine. The situation is unsustainable and the international community has sadly not yet found a solution, but Russia is increasingly isolated. In March, Russia vetoed a UN Security Council Resolution which affirmed the territorial integrity of Ukraine, days before launching an illegal referendum in Crimea. Then in the UN General Assembly, 100 member states voted in favour of a non-binding General Assembly resolution that reaffirmed the territorial integrity of Ukraine and confirmed the invalidity of the referendum in Crimea.

The European Union has worked together to find a solution to ensure the future stability and prosperity of Ukraine. Targeted sanctions are an effective and immediate means to deter further Russian incursions into eastern Ukraine, and can be scaled up, down or reversed to respond to changing circumstances. A fresh round was placed recently, our Minister for Europe explains why in this article. Sanctions aren’t the only response to the crisis: negotiation and ceasefire are important steps, but only preliminary ones. The clearest sign of a commitment to peace and respect for sovereignty would be Russian withdrawal of troops, and cessation of arming separatists and supplying weapons into eastern Ukraine.