EU sanctions Russia in ‘answer to grave violations’ in Ukraine

Europe’s response to the Ukraine crisis will have lasting repercussions around the world, EU Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans says

Firefighters arrive at a military building in Kiev that was damaged in an explosion. EPA

A man looks at the debris of an unidentified object in the aftermath of an explosion in Kiev. EPA

Black smoke rises from a military airport in Chuguyev near Kharkiv. AFP

People take shelter in a Kiev subway station, after Russian President Vladimir Putin authorised a military operation in eastern Ukraine. Reuters

A Kiev underground train station provides some shelter. Reuters

Clear airspace over Ukraine, shortly after the attack began, as shown on the Flightradar24 website. AP

Kiev residents leave the city following pre-offensive missile strikes by the Russian armed forces and Belarus. Getty

Russian President Vladimir Putin justified the attack in a televised address, saying it was to protect civilians in eastern Ukraine. AP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses the nation in Kiev. He has declared martial law, saying Russia has targeted Ukraine's military infrastructure. AP

Firefighters extinguish a blaze at a house in Muratovo, in Ukraine's Luhansk enclave. AFP

The house is said to have been hit during shelling by Russian-backed separatists. AFP

The coffin of Capt Anton Sidorov is carried by members of the honour guard during a ceremony held at the Ministry of Defence in Kiev, Ukraine. Getty

A picture memorial for those killed in the confrontation between Ukraine's military and pro-Russia separatist forces, in the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine. AP

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Russia's Ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, attend a Security Council meeting in New York to discuss the crisis in Ukraine. Reuters

Ukraine's UN ambassador Sergey Kyslytsya speaks during an emergency meeting of the Security Council. AP

US Army soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division head towards an air base near Arlamow, Poland. Reuters

An employee works at the gun counter of a tactical equipment shop in Kiev, Ukraine. Getty

A Ukrainian soldier speaks on a walkie-talkie at his position at the line of separation between Ukraine-held territory and rebel-held territory near Svitlodarsk, eastern Ukraine. AP

A man removes his belongings from his house after it was struck by artillery shells in Novoluhanske, eastern Ukraine. AP

A damaged house in Vibrovka village. EPA

A man shows a poster in support of Ukraine as he protests against the escalation of the tension between Russia and Ukraine, in Berlin. AP

Soldiers carry the coffin of Capt Anton Sydorov, 35, after he was killed in eastern Ukraine. AP

Workers look into a destroyed house after shelling near the city of Novoluhanske in Donetsk. Reuters

Destroyed buildings in Krasnogorivka, Ukraine. AFP

Smoke rises from a power plant after shelling outside the town of Schastia, a day after Moscow recognised two Ukrainian separatist republics and ordered the Russian Army to send in troops as ‘peacekeepers’. AFP

A Ukrainian Army soldier trudges through the wintry streets of Schastia on patrol. AFP

Three women run for cover during shelling in Schastia, eastern Ukraine. AFP

Russian tanks and armoured vehicles on the road in Rostov. EPA

A woman shares food with dogs in Stanytsia Luhanska, a crossing point between Ukrainian government-controlled areas and pro-Russian separatists' territory. AP

People wave Russian flags in Donetsk, the territory controlled by pro-Russian militants, in eastern Ukraine. AP

A tank drives along a street in the city of Donetsk. Reuters

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses the nation on TV and says 'we are not afraid' after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into Donetsk and Luhansk, two Moscow-backed rebel regions of Ukraine. AFP

A military truck in Donetsk after Mr Putin ordered the deployment of Russian troops to the city. Reuters

Russian state television showed Mr Putin signing a decree recognising the independence of the two Ukrainian breakaway regions. Reuters

US President Joe Biden signs an executive order at the White House to prohibit trade and investment between US individuals and the two breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine. Reuters

Mr Putin signs documents, including the decree recognising two Russian-backed breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine. Reuters

Ukraine ambassador to the United Nations, Sergiy Kyslytsya, addresses an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation between Ukraine and Russia in New York. EPA

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EU ministers on Tuesday unanimously agreed on a package of sanctions on Russia in response to Moscow's recognition of two breakaway Ukrainian regions as independent republics.

“The grave violations Russia is committing will not go unanswered,” EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell said.

Mr Borrell said the EU would target 27 individuals and entities that undermine Ukrainian integrity. These are Duma representatives that backed Mr Putin’s bid, banks financing Russian decision-makers, the ability of the Russian state and government to access European capital and financial markets and services.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, however, is not on the sanctions list, Mr Borrell said.

"Sanctions are only part of the response – diplomacy will continue," he added.

He said the EU will send a mission to help block cyber-attacks and insisted that "We will raise the level of sanctions substantially depending on Russian behaviour."

A day after Russia's move, Mr Putin blamed Ukraine for the end of the so-called Minsk ceasefire agreement, called on Kiev to end its bid to join Nato and told the West to stop sending arms.

Russia also started withdrawing diplomats from Ukraine.

Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said that Russia has 150,000 soldiers on Ukraine's borders and that it was undertaking a “further invasion” of the country.

The EU sanctions come after the UK announced its own measures targeting three wealthy Russian citizens and five private banks on Tuesday. UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss also said that G7 countries had agreed "a strong package of coordinated escalatory sanctions" on Russia.

Mr Putin on Monday announced the recognition of Donetsk and Luhansk and signed a decree to station Russian forces on the ground, drawing swift international condemnation and US sanctions.

Mr Le Drian, Mr Macron’s foreign minister, offered a robust rebuttal to questions over the French president’s mediation efforts on Ukraine where he flew to Moscow to meet with Mr Putin less than two weeks ago. Mr Le Drian said that Mr Macron did everything in his power to avoid a war but that Mr Putin’s actions showed that his signature and word was now worthless.

The text of the EU sanctions was drawn up while ministers attended the EU ministerial forum on the Indo-Pacific region on Tuesday morning in Paris. It was then discussed at an emergency sideline meeting.

The EU Commission draft mirrored closely the final sanctions announced.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Germany and other countries made clear at a UN Security Council meeting that Moscow “has no support in the world” for the latest move and it had halted the process of certifying the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia.

EU Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans warned that Europe’s response to Russia would have lasting repercussions both on the continent and across the world.

An EU diplomat told journalists that ambassadors were “unanimously in favour” of imposing sanctions, potentially on hundreds of Russian companies and officials, and that banning trade in Russian state bonds was on the cards.

The EU has repeatedly warned of “massive consequences” on Russia if Moscow invades Ukraine. However, Mr Borrell was clear on Tuesday morning that the deployment of forces was an escalation but did not constitute the long-feared invasion.

“Russian troops in Donbas I wouldn’t say is a full invasion, but they are on Ukrainian soil,” he said as he arrived at the EU forum on the Indo-Pacific region on Tuesday morning in Paris.

Russia’s decision to recognise as independent entities and send troops to certain areas of Ukraine is illegal and unacceptable, the European Council and the European Commission said in a statement.

The move violates international law, Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, Russia’s own international commitments and escalates the crisis, it said.

Discussing the sanctions list before it was announced, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said that “yesterday’s TV ‘show’ [by Mr Putin] means we know all the faces that were behind the political decision making leading to Russia’s actions. When it comes to heads of state, there is usually a different track.

The White House responded quickly to Monday’s move in Moscow by issuing an executive order to prohibit US investment and trade in the separatist regions. The US said additional measures — likely sanctions — would be announced on Tuesday.

Monday’s measures are separate from the list of possible sanctions that Washington prepared in the event of a Russian invasion, a senior administration official said.