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EU Warns Moscow That Billions Belonging To Putin And His Oligarch Allies Could Be Seized Tomorrow
European Union leaders holding a crisis meeting on Ukraine could impose sanctions on Russia if there has been no "de-escalation" by then, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said.
Fabius told France's BFM TV that such measures could include restrictions on visas, the assets of individuals and existing discussions on economic ties with Russia.
"Let's start to initiate the path of dialogue, but at the same time tomorrow there is an EU summit and sanctions could be voted tomorrow if there is no de-escalation. I expect and hope that Russia will today tell us that there is a prospect for dialogue with a contact group," he said, referring to proposals to form a "contact group" of key players in the Ukraine crisis.
US to Ban Visas, Seize Assets of top Russian Linked to Crimean Crisis
The United States is expected to ban visas and freeze assets of top Russian officials as President Vladimir Putin escalates military operations in Crimea and vows not to be deterred by any economic sanctions imposed punitively by the West.
The U.S. move also may include targeting state-run financial institutions for economic sanctions, The New York Times reports. Congress also is preparing its own set of punitive measures against Moscow.
"What we are also indicating to the Russians," President Barack Obama said on Monday, "is that if, in fact, they continue on the current trajectory that they’re on, that we are examining a whole series of steps — economic, diplomatic — that will isolate Russia and will have a negative impact on Russia’s economy and its standing in the world."
But Jen Psaki, a spokeswoman for Secretary of State John Kerry, was even more blunt to the Times: "At this point, we’re not just considering sanctions, given the actions Russia is taking."
Meanwhile, Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia told the Times that House leaders were contemplating measures that target "Russian officials, oligarchs and other individuals complicit in Russia’s efforts to invade and interfere with Ukraine’s sovereign affairs."
The moves came as the United States suspended military ties with Russia — including military exercises, bilateral meetings, port visits, and planning conferences — after the White House decision to call off trade talks with Moscow.
U.S. Navy Rear Admiral John Kirby urged Russian forces in Crimea to return to their bases. He said that the Pentagon was monitoring the situation closely and that no changes had been made to the military's stance in Europe or the Mediterranean.
The Obama administration has pledged $1 billion in loan guarantees to Ukraine — and Kerry arrived in the strife-torn country early Tuesday.
The money was expected to aid Ukraine's troubled economy and help the country finance purchases of energy imports. Ukraine also is seeking a larger financial bailout from the International Monetary Fund.
On his arrival in Kiev, Kerry said Russia must pull back or "our partners will have absolutely no choice but to join us to continue to expand upon steps we have taken in recent days in order to isolate Russia politically, diplomatically and economically."
The European Union also is weighing sanctions, with the group's 28 leaders expecting to vote on measures at an emergency meeting in Brussels on Thursday.
As many as 16,000 Russian troops have been deployed in the last week — demanding that Ukrainian forces in Crimea surrender within hours or face armed assault. Russia has denied issuing any ultimatums, but it has been clear that Moscow is strengthening its hold on the Crimean Peninsula, the Times reports.
With more than 2 million residents, Crimea is a largely Russian-speaking peninsula on the northern tip of the Black Sea. It houses the region's only warm-water port, which gives Russia full access to the Mediterranean.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Deshchytsia said his country was in a much stronger position now than even a week ago, having rallied the support of the U.S. and the West.
He said it was unlikely that Kiev would ever go to war to prevent Russia from annexing Crimea, but said doing so wouldn't be necessary — describing the economic penalties and diplomatic isolation as more painful to Russians than bullets would be.
But at a session with reporters at the presidential palace, Putin talked of de-escalation in Ukraine, charging, however, that Moscow would use "all means at our disposal" to protect ethnic Russians in the country.
"It seems to me [Ukraine] is gradually stabilizing," Putin said. "We have no enemies in Ukraine. Ukraine is a friendly state."
Even though Putin pulled his forces back from the Ukrainian border on Tuesday, he charged that Western actions were driving Ukraine into anarchy. He also warned that any sanctions the West might place on Russia for its actions there would backfire.
Russia also agreed to a NATO request to hold a special meeting to discuss Ukraine on Wednesday in Brussels, before EU countries take their vote on whether to impose sanctions, opening up a possible diplomatic channel in the conflict.
Russia prepares bill on foreign asset freeze in reply to sanctions – senator
A top Russian lawmaker has revealed he is working on a bill that would freeze the assets of European and American companies operating in Russia in reply to Western economic sanctions.
The chairman of the upper house committee for constitutional law, Andrey Klishas, is sure that Russia must have an enough leverage to deal with the threat of sanctions coming from foreign countries.A team of lawyers are currently preparing a separate federal bill that would allow the Russian president and government to confiscate foreign owned property in Russia, including assets belonging to private companies, the senator told the RIA Novosti news agency.
The bill is in response to the major political crisis in Ukraine and the threat of sanctions against Russia coming from the USA and other countries.
“All sanctions must be mutual,” Klishas stated.
The senator added that he had no doubts that such a measure was in line with European standards. “We can recall the example of Cyprus where the confiscation was, in essence, one of the conditions for getting aid from European Union.
Klishas rejects the idea that the measure adds to the tension. “We are only suggesting that instead of threatening each other with sanctions we should together with our partners calmly read the Ukrainian Constitution and understand what has happened in this sovereign country,” the Russian lawmaker said. “The main thing we are trying to achieve, whether our European and American partners want it or not, is to make others listen to our legal arguments and adequately react to them,” Klishas said.
The senator added that the Federation Council planned to officially address parliaments of Poland Germany and France (the guarantors of the February 21 agreement between the Ukrainian authorities and the opposition) with a request to give a legal assessment of the Ukrainian events. Similar requests will be made to parliaments of other European countries and the USA.
Earlier this week the White House called off trade talks and suspended all military ties with Russia and President Barak Obama said that if Russia “continued on its current trajectory” the US administration was ready for “a whole series of steps — economic, diplomatic — that will isolate Russia and will have a negative impact on Russia’s economy and its standing in the world.”
Russian officials have already condemned these threats as one-sided and selfish. "Those who try to interpret the situation as a type of aggression and threaten sanctions and boycotts, are the same who consistently have encouraged the sides to refuse dialogue and have ultimately polarised Ukrainian society," Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the UN Human Rights Council on Monday.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said in its official comment that US politicians are losing an accurateperception of real state of affairs in the 21st century. “Moscow has explained to the Americans, repeatedly and demonstrably, why their one-sided punitive measures are not matching the standards of civilized relations between nations. If this fails to take effect, we will have to retaliate, and not necessarily in a mirror way,” the ministry’s spokesman Aleksandr Lukashevich said.
European Union leaders holding a crisis meeting on Ukraine could impose sanctions on Russia if there has been no "de-escalation" by then, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said.
Fabius told France's BFM TV that such measures could include restrictions on visas, the assets of individuals and existing discussions on economic ties with Russia.
"Let's start to initiate the path of dialogue, but at the same time tomorrow there is an EU summit and sanctions could be voted tomorrow if there is no de-escalation. I expect and hope that Russia will today tell us that there is a prospect for dialogue with a contact group," he said, referring to proposals to form a "contact group" of key players in the Ukraine crisis.
US to Ban Visas, Seize Assets of top Russian Linked to Crimean Crisis
The United States is expected to ban visas and freeze assets of top Russian officials as President Vladimir Putin escalates military operations in Crimea and vows not to be deterred by any economic sanctions imposed punitively by the West.
The U.S. move also may include targeting state-run financial institutions for economic sanctions, The New York Times reports. Congress also is preparing its own set of punitive measures against Moscow.
"What we are also indicating to the Russians," President Barack Obama said on Monday, "is that if, in fact, they continue on the current trajectory that they’re on, that we are examining a whole series of steps — economic, diplomatic — that will isolate Russia and will have a negative impact on Russia’s economy and its standing in the world."
But Jen Psaki, a spokeswoman for Secretary of State John Kerry, was even more blunt to the Times: "At this point, we’re not just considering sanctions, given the actions Russia is taking."
Meanwhile, Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia told the Times that House leaders were contemplating measures that target "Russian officials, oligarchs and other individuals complicit in Russia’s efforts to invade and interfere with Ukraine’s sovereign affairs."
The moves came as the United States suspended military ties with Russia — including military exercises, bilateral meetings, port visits, and planning conferences — after the White House decision to call off trade talks with Moscow.
U.S. Navy Rear Admiral John Kirby urged Russian forces in Crimea to return to their bases. He said that the Pentagon was monitoring the situation closely and that no changes had been made to the military's stance in Europe or the Mediterranean.
The Obama administration has pledged $1 billion in loan guarantees to Ukraine — and Kerry arrived in the strife-torn country early Tuesday.
The money was expected to aid Ukraine's troubled economy and help the country finance purchases of energy imports. Ukraine also is seeking a larger financial bailout from the International Monetary Fund.
On his arrival in Kiev, Kerry said Russia must pull back or "our partners will have absolutely no choice but to join us to continue to expand upon steps we have taken in recent days in order to isolate Russia politically, diplomatically and economically."
The European Union also is weighing sanctions, with the group's 28 leaders expecting to vote on measures at an emergency meeting in Brussels on Thursday.
As many as 16,000 Russian troops have been deployed in the last week — demanding that Ukrainian forces in Crimea surrender within hours or face armed assault. Russia has denied issuing any ultimatums, but it has been clear that Moscow is strengthening its hold on the Crimean Peninsula, the Times reports.
With more than 2 million residents, Crimea is a largely Russian-speaking peninsula on the northern tip of the Black Sea. It houses the region's only warm-water port, which gives Russia full access to the Mediterranean.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Deshchytsia said his country was in a much stronger position now than even a week ago, having rallied the support of the U.S. and the West.
He said it was unlikely that Kiev would ever go to war to prevent Russia from annexing Crimea, but said doing so wouldn't be necessary — describing the economic penalties and diplomatic isolation as more painful to Russians than bullets would be.
But at a session with reporters at the presidential palace, Putin talked of de-escalation in Ukraine, charging, however, that Moscow would use "all means at our disposal" to protect ethnic Russians in the country.
"It seems to me [Ukraine] is gradually stabilizing," Putin said. "We have no enemies in Ukraine. Ukraine is a friendly state."
Even though Putin pulled his forces back from the Ukrainian border on Tuesday, he charged that Western actions were driving Ukraine into anarchy. He also warned that any sanctions the West might place on Russia for its actions there would backfire.
Russia also agreed to a NATO request to hold a special meeting to discuss Ukraine on Wednesday in Brussels, before EU countries take their vote on whether to impose sanctions, opening up a possible diplomatic channel in the conflict.
Russia prepares bill on foreign asset freeze in reply to sanctions – senator
A top Russian lawmaker has revealed he is working on a bill that would freeze the assets of European and American companies operating in Russia in reply to Western economic sanctions.
The chairman of the upper house committee for constitutional law, Andrey Klishas, is sure that Russia must have an enough leverage to deal with the threat of sanctions coming from foreign countries.A team of lawyers are currently preparing a separate federal bill that would allow the Russian president and government to confiscate foreign owned property in Russia, including assets belonging to private companies, the senator told the RIA Novosti news agency.
The bill is in response to the major political crisis in Ukraine and the threat of sanctions against Russia coming from the USA and other countries.
“All sanctions must be mutual,” Klishas stated.
The senator added that he had no doubts that such a measure was in line with European standards. “We can recall the example of Cyprus where the confiscation was, in essence, one of the conditions for getting aid from European Union.
Klishas rejects the idea that the measure adds to the tension. “We are only suggesting that instead of threatening each other with sanctions we should together with our partners calmly read the Ukrainian Constitution and understand what has happened in this sovereign country,” the Russian lawmaker said. “The main thing we are trying to achieve, whether our European and American partners want it or not, is to make others listen to our legal arguments and adequately react to them,” Klishas said.
The senator added that the Federation Council planned to officially address parliaments of Poland Germany and France (the guarantors of the February 21 agreement between the Ukrainian authorities and the opposition) with a request to give a legal assessment of the Ukrainian events. Similar requests will be made to parliaments of other European countries and the USA.
Earlier this week the White House called off trade talks and suspended all military ties with Russia and President Barak Obama said that if Russia “continued on its current trajectory” the US administration was ready for “a whole series of steps — economic, diplomatic — that will isolate Russia and will have a negative impact on Russia’s economy and its standing in the world.”
Russian officials have already condemned these threats as one-sided and selfish. "Those who try to interpret the situation as a type of aggression and threaten sanctions and boycotts, are the same who consistently have encouraged the sides to refuse dialogue and have ultimately polarised Ukrainian society," Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the UN Human Rights Council on Monday.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said in its official comment that US politicians are losing an accurateperception of real state of affairs in the 21st century. “Moscow has explained to the Americans, repeatedly and demonstrably, why their one-sided punitive measures are not matching the standards of civilized relations between nations. If this fails to take effect, we will have to retaliate, and not necessarily in a mirror way,” the ministry’s spokesman Aleksandr Lukashevich said.
