BRUSSELS – The European Union is considering targeted sanctions against individuals involved in the sham Nov. 11 elections in Russian-controlled areas of the eastern Donbas oblasts of Donetsk and Luhansk.
Foreign ministers of the 28 EU nations discussed the situation in Ukraine during their meeting in Brussels The meeting was chaired by Federica Mogherini, the high representative of the EU and vice president of the European Commission.
This discussion was a follow-up on the so-called elections in Donbas, which sought to give legitimacy to Russia’s proxy leaders in an area beyond Ukraine’s control, and on the situation at the Azov Sea, in which Russia interferes with Ukrainian maritime trade.
On Nov. 10, the EU made clear that it will never recognize the elections, which they called illegal and illegitimate. The EU said the vote was staged in violation of international law and undermines the Minsk peace agreements in which Russia agreed to withdraw from Ukraine and end its support of its proxies there. Russia’s war, which started with the military takeover of the Crimean peninsula, violates Ukraine’s sovereignty and law. Russia controls about one-third of the Donbas, or more than 15,000 square kilometers, or roughly 2.5 percent of the mainland.
The situation in the Azov Sea, which used to be almost fully demilitarized, also worries Brussels. On May 15, when Russian President Vladimir Putin inaugurated the Kerch Bridge, the EU stated that the bridge constitutes another violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Speaking to the European Parliament on Oct. 23, Mogherini also said that Russia started to inspect cargo vessels coming from Ukraine’s ports in the Azov Sea more closely, including those flying under EU member state flags. The inspections have created long delays and increased shipping costs.
Moreover, Brussels is concerned that Russia has started deploying military vessels to the Azov Sea in large numbers. Ukraine tried, meanwhile, to increased its military presence.
Speaking at a Nov. 19 press conference, Mogherini said the EU has “full unity” in opposition to the Nov. 11 Russian elections in the Donbas and growing militarization of the Azov Sea.
“So these are issues on which we will continue to work with full determination from all our member states and obviously the European Union institutions and services, including taking appropriate targeted measures in the coming weeks or days,” Mogherini said.
A council decision detailing the individuals sanctioned is expected to come in December.
