EU foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels to decide new measures against Russia, with Britain and some other countries demanding much tougher measures.
The Foreign Affairs Council meeting will be followed by the EU-Eastern Partnership Ministerial Meeting, starting at 16.00. Further to the EU members states' foreign ministers, this meeting will be attended by the foreign ministers of the six partner countries, namely Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.
Before the start of the Council, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius blamed "terrorists supplied by Moscow" for the airliner's destruction and the deaths of all 298 people aboard, and said he hoped the Tuesday meeting will approve beefed-up sanctions against Russia. He called for an arms embargo — a direct challenge to France, which is building two warships for the Russian navy.
So far, EU sanctions against Russia and its supporters in Ukraine have been relatively mild, though the EU was moving to broaden them before the downing of the Malaysia Airlines flight over eastern Ukraine. British Prime Minister David Cameron said Monday the disaster has drastically changed the situation.
In principle, the ministers wait for a Dutch initiative, given that most of the victims were Dutch citizens. Until now, the Dutch reaction has been rather mild, and the Netherlands has yet not declared a day of public mourning for the victims of the crash in Ukraine.
Most capitals are loath to start an economic war with Russia, especially in this period of economic incertitude and doubtful recovery.
EU is still at the “phase two" of the sanctions: asset and travel bans on people and companies dealing with Ukraine. EU has stopped short of targeting the Kremlin’s inner circle, like the US started doing. Berlin, Paris, Madrid and Rome are reticent to go over to “phase three”, which would be targeting Russia’s core economic interests.
David Cameron has spoken publicly in favour of much tougher sanctions, and he has criticised France for planning to deliver to Russia the two sophisticated warships that were commissioned and paid for by Moscow years ago. At the same time, Cameron himself is loath to jeopardise the City and the huge flux of Russian money that flows through London.
French president Francois Hollande let it be understood that he might reconsider his decision of honouring the contract with Russia, in spite of the foreseen penalties.
In Ukraine, thetrain carrying the remains of the victims has arrived this morning in the government-controlled city of Kharkiv, while heavy fighting is reported in the streets of the main separatist-held city of Donetsk.
http://www.neurope.eu/article/eu-ministers-discuss-%E2%80%9Cphase-three%E2%80%9D-russia-sanctions