EU extends sanctions against Russia over Ukraine

[rooster59]

EU extends sanctions against Russia over Ukraine



The Council of the EU has extended economic sanctions targeting specific sections of the Russian economy in connection with the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine.

They will now be in place until 31 January, 2017.

Has this come as a surprise?

No.

It has been widely expected. EU leaders have called for more progress in bringing peace to eastern Ukraine.

It is estimated more than 9,000 people have died in the conflict since April 2014.

NATO warned last week that the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine is barely holding.

Why and when were the sanctions introduced?

The Council says in response to Russia’s actions “destabilising the situation in Ukraine”.

They were brought in on 31 July 2014 initially for one year over Moscow’s support for separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine. They were “reinforced” in September 2014.

In March 2015, the Council agreed the sanctions would last until the Minsk peace agreements were fully implemented. This was originally meant to happen by 31 December 2015.

This was not the case and they were extended for a further six months until the end of July, 2016.

Which areas do they target?

The financial, energy and defence sectors and the area of what are termed “dual-use goods”:

• limit access to EU primary and secondary capital markets for a number of Russian companies
• An export and import ban on arms
• An export ban for dual-use goods with a military link
• Limit Russian access to oil production and exploration industry technology

Are there any other measures in place?

Yes.

A number of EU measures have been imposed in response to the crisis in Ukraine.

These include:

• A visa ban and asset freeze on 146 people and 37 entities until 15 September 2016
• Restrictive measures limited to the annexed territory of Crimea and Sevastopol, in place until 23 June 2017.

How united is the EU behind its policy on sanctions for Russia?

There is some disagreement.

The EU is divided over how to end the stand-off with Moscow.

Some countries, such as Slovakia, say the current sanctions policy is untenable.

What was Moscow’s response to the sanctions being imposed?

Moscow imposed a ban on EU farm exports in retaliation and denies any direct backing for the rebels.

Russian officials deny any direct backing for the separatists.

What they are saying

“Having assessed the implementation of the Minsk agreements, the Council decided to renew the sanctions for a further six months, until 31 January 2017,” – Council of European governments.

-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2016-07-02

[BuaBS]

Dumb asses .

Maybe an opportunity for the free Brits ! Oops , they still are the US' female dog.

[Kiwiken]

Dumb asses .

Maybe an opportunity for the free Brits ! Oops , they still are the US' female dog.

Yes the old Bulldog is still the Eagles Lapdog .

[Publicus]

UK in or out of the EU will remain firm in fencing off Putin and his Russia. It's also true whether the UK continues as an entity or regardless of whether it becomes Britain again.

It's also easy to see why Putin wants the European Union dissolved. He is funding and supporting just about every rightwing political movement in EU countries, although Putin knows he has to be more careful about any funding of UKIP.

The sanctions have knocked 5% off last year's GDP and have forced Putin to reduce the government's budget by 50% (80% of which comes from oil revenue directly).

Putin's grand designs of a united world order opposed to the United States has gone into the krapper same as the ruble and the Russian economy. The Brics for instance exist in name only.

The World's Rising Powers Have Fallen

There will be no bloc of 'emerging economies' rising up to challenge the Western order.

As analysts and scholars compose their first drafts of the history of the Obama administration’s foreign policy, a chapter will surely address what were once dubbed “rising powers,” a group that included Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and others. But the optimism of 2008 — when the so-called “BRICS” were ascendant, ready to reshape global economics and politics — has turned to doubt.

Not so fast, as it turned out. Many of the premises undergirding these predictions evaporated in the ensuing decade.

http://www.realclearworld.com/2016/07/06/the_world039s_rising_powers_have_fallen_176899.html

President Obama's foreign policy has over seven years ground Russia down and out of the now defunct Brics countries and out of the global picture. Putin's pet Brics Development Bank and new alternative global order that was to exclude the US dollar has instead itself collapsed, as have the Brics themselves.

India is out by its own decision, partnered with the United States. Brazil went so far left it was relatively easy to give 'em all the rope they needed (along with several comrade countries of South America, most notably Venezuela). Russia is in the tank and the CCP China economy is in a steady decline punctuated by the regular spasms of its markets.

Putin this 4th of July holiday in the USA sent a friendly message to President Obama, his new boss (same as all the other Potus bosses).

Putin will need to show he can change his thinking, beliefs, ways, same as the rest of the former Brics leaders will need to do. Rousseff in Brazil is already gone and India has changed its PM to a pro-US one, Narindra Modi of the BJP party. Xi and Putin are on the ropes in several respects beyond the Brics collapsing. Brics have collapsed and shattered because they had no mortar.

We'll know the game is really up when EU and US get to the point -- coming eventually -- that CCP Dictators in Beijing will join Putin in getting economic sanctions put against them and their economy. This is the one thing EU and US had not ever thought of doing...until recently due to the CCP's territorial aggressions in the South China Sea against Asean, in the East Sea against Japan, and at the north border with India (CCP claims it owns what is the northern third of India).

The more things change over the past hundred years the more they remain the same, i.e., dictators come and dictators go.

Edited July 7, 2016 by Publicus

[Rancid]

The EU puppets do what they told by Washington, no great surprise. Just look at Germany, it is still occupied by the US how many years after WW2? The BRICS slowly collapsing, this is indeed partly true, but a little deeper reading into who was there behind the scenes with the usual machinations of regime change could provide some illumination as to how the world really works.

Russia is a little more complicated these days than just let's bomb the commies, although it isn't difficult to find extremist links to quote confirming any simplistic or ignorant view you may subscribe to, be it pro-Russia, pro-US or even that there are Lizard aliens controlling the world.

Just as an example did you know the US actually had plans to nuke the entire USSR when they were the only one with the A-bomb, but hey, genocide is acceptable if you are bringing freedom and democracy to the world. Look how much the Middle East has benefited lately, they are partying every day to celebrate.

The Soviets were indeed an evil regime, however they were a political regime (do some research on who actually founded and financially supported Lenin and co) that has long gone, Russia currently seems to just want to mind its own business, even a NATO general admitted Russia had no plans to invade Europe.

The whole thing about the dangers of Russia is a complete load of nonsense, engagement leads to peace, sanctions are purely economic warfare, stage one to the real thing if they are that insane.