The
European Union will consider restricting
Russia’s
access to capital markets and sensitive technologies unless President Vladimir
Putin
expedites the investigation of the downing of
Malaysian Air flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine, three officials said.
As a train carrying victims’ remains from the jet shot
down over rebel territory in Ukraine arrived in the government-held city
Kharkiv, EU foreign ministers in Brussels were debating how to deliver on the
bloc’s commitment to expand a 72-person blacklist that targets Russia.
The U.S. is pushing
Europe
to toughen its stance on Putin after the downing of
the Malaysian jet last week by a missile that the Obama administration says was
probably supplied by the Russian military. Any European move on
capital markets would follow on from a U.S. measure
last week that prevents some Russian companies from accessing U.S. equity or
debt markets for new financing with a maturity beyond 90 days.
(Bloomberg)