Moscow - The European Union's sanction policy cannot help settle the crisis in Ukraine, and the blacklisting of opponents cannot help arrange dialogue with them, says Russian Permanent Representative at the EU Vladimir Chizhov.
“Dialogue is necessary to achieve a political settlement. However, as you understand, the inclusion of potential participants in a dialogue – after all, you cannot maintain dialogue with yourself, but you have to maintain dialogue with opponents… If opponents are put on various sanction lists, this certainly does not advance the beginning of a substantial internal Ukrainian political dialogue,” Chizhov said in a telephone interview with Interfax from Brussels in commenting on the EU’s decision to put 11 more people on its sanction list related to the Ukraine crisis, who represent the leadership of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic.
“The appearance of particular people on this list is likely related to the fact that they occupied their current positions after the first list was endorsed,” Chizhov said.
“A sanction policy in itself leads to a deadlock and does not promote the settlement of a crisis, while nearly everyone understands today that a settlement can only be political,” he said.
Earlier on Saturday, the European Union published the names of another 11 individuals in its Official Journal to be subject to restrictive measures because of their role in the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. The sanctions took effect at the moment of their publication.
In particular, the EU has imposed sanctions on Alexander Borodai, the so-called prime minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), DPR Security Service chief Oleksandr Khodakovsky, DPR Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kaliussky, DPR Information and Public Relations Minister Oleksandr Khriakov, Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) Prime Minister Marat Bashyrov, LPR Deputy Prime Minister Vasyl Nikitin, LPR Supreme Council Chairman Olelsiy Kariakin, LPR Interior Minister Yuriy Ivakin, LPR Defense Minister Ihor Plotnytsky, DPR Cossack Forces Commander Mykola Kozytsyn, and militia leader Oleksiy Mozhovy.
The EU sanction list concerning Ukraine currently includes 72 names.
