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Ukraine crisis: EU to slap new sanctions on Russia 'on Friday' | Ukraine crisis: EU to slap new sanctions on Russia 'on Friday' |
(about 2 hours later) | |
The European Union has agreed to impose further sanctions on Russia on Friday over its role in the Ukraine crisis, diplomats say. | |
The move is aimed at maintaining pressure on Russia, the sources said. | |
Russia says it is preparing a response "commensurate with the economic losses" caused by the EU sanctions. | |
Nato says Russia still has about 1,000 heavily armed troops in eastern Ukraine - where pro-Russian rebels are fighting - and about 20,000 near the border. | |
The new sanctions are expected to tighten access to Western loans, especially for big Russian state oil companies, and expand a blacklist of Russian officials subject to visa bans and asset freezes. More rebel leaders will also go on that list. | |
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich called the new sanctions "an absolutely unfriendly step". | |
The EU decision followed a conference call involving a number of European leaders, including UK Prime Minister David Cameron. | |
The member states struggled to agree on how to factor in the fragile truce between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian rebels. It took effect on 5 September and appears to be holding despite some sporadic shooting. | |
The rouble fell to a new low of 37.57 to the dollar on Thursday, after news about the EU sanctions broke. It also fell against the euro. | |
Shaky ceasefire | |
Western leaders and Kiev accuse Russia of helping the separatists in eastern Ukraine with regular troops and sophisticated weapons including tanks. Moscow denies the allegations. | |
The separatists have recently made big gains in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The fighting has killed at least 3,000 people since April. | |
At urgent talks among 28 member states in Brussels on Wednesday, Germany pressed for the sanctions to put be into effect. | At urgent talks among 28 member states in Brussels on Wednesday, Germany pressed for the sanctions to put be into effect. |
But other countries said they wanted to wait while the ceasefire continued to hold. | But other countries said they wanted to wait while the ceasefire continued to hold. |
A spokesman for Mr Cameron said several EU leaders agreed on Thursday that the sanctions should take effect "by the end of the week", according to Reuters. | |
They will be published in the official journal of the EU, which puts them into effect. | |
The package was finalised last Friday, but its implementation was delayed because of the ceasefire agreed on the same day. | The package was finalised last Friday, but its implementation was delayed because of the ceasefire agreed on the same day. |
The new sanctions will target Russian oil companies Rosneft and Transneft and the petroleum unit of state gas monopoly Gazprom. | The new sanctions will target Russian oil companies Rosneft and Transneft and the petroleum unit of state gas monopoly Gazprom. |
Their access to financial markets will be restricted - a serious matter for Rosneft, which last month asked the Russian government for a $42bn (£25.2bn) loan. | Their access to financial markets will be restricted - a serious matter for Rosneft, which last month asked the Russian government for a $42bn (£25.2bn) loan. |
The measures also cover dual-use goods which can be used for military purposes, defence equipment and some other sensitive technologies. | The measures also cover dual-use goods which can be used for military purposes, defence equipment and some other sensitive technologies. |
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has warned that Russia might shut its airspace to European passenger planes, a move that "could drive many struggling airlines into bankruptcy". | |