EU expels several Russian diplomats, expands sanctions against Russia

“We are also extending the sanctions lists – adding dozens of people from politics, the business sector and engaged in propaganda activities, and also more entities from financial, military industrial and transport sectors, among them 4 important Russian banks that will not only be taken out from the Swift system, but will also be forbidden from participating in any kind of financial transactions in the EU. The aim of our sanctions is to stop the reckless, inhuman and aggressive behaviour of the Russian troops and make clear to the decision makers in the Kremlin that their illegal aggression comes at a heavy cost,” High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said today in Strasbourg.

He noted that the European Union’s position had been very clear: the EU will continue to advance the sanctions as long as the Russian aggression continues. The fifth package of sanctions presented today will further cripple Putin’s war machinery, following the atrocities committed by the Russian armed forces in Bucha and other places under Russian occupation in Ukraine.

Borrell stressed that the events in Bucha, as well as Russia's brutal attacks on civilians in Mariupol, show the true face of this war.

He noted that while responding to the Kremlin's murderous behavior, the EU is taking steps to protect its own security and the security of member states.

“Russia’s illegal and disruptive actions against the interests and security of the EU and our Members States, including breaching the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic relations, are not staying without a response. That is why today, I decided to designate persona non grata a number of officials of the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the EU for engaging in activities contrary to their diplomatic status. The EEAS Secretary General is summoning the Russian Ambassador to the EU today to communicate this decision,” Borrell stressed.

As reported, on February 24, 2022, the Russian Federation started an unprovoked war against Ukraine. The invaders shell and bomb peaceful cities, towns, and villages in Ukraine, torturing and killing civilians.

Russia's aggression against Ukraine has provoked a firm and united response from the European Union, which has imposed tough sanctions on Russia, provided substantial political, economic, financial and military support to Ukraine, and hosted millions of Ukrainians fleeing Putin's war.

Photo: DPA

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