BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders said Thursday they will hit more people with a travel ban and asset freeze, closing in on President Vladimir Putin's inner circle to punish him in the escalating crisis over the Russian annexation of the Crimea peninsula.
They also announced plans to scrap a scheduled EU-Russia summit in June as part of the intensifying standoff over Ukraine, which has turned into one of the biggest political crises in Europe since the end of the Cold War.
"We need to prepare to take further steps and we need to do it together," said Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt. "A strong Europe is the last thing that Putin wants. He wants to split us up."
Chancellor Angela Merkel said that beyond increasing the number of people affected by asset freezes and travel bans — initially at 21 politicians and military commanders — the leaders would prepare for future use measures at a higher level, which would include economic sanctions and an arms embargo.
As Europe promised to get tougher, President Barack Obama announced the United States is also levying a new round of sanctions on individuals in Russia. Russia hit back, imposing entry bans on nine U.S. lawmakers and officials in response to Washington's sanctions.
President Dalia Grybauskaite of Lithuania said the EU would not be far behind the United States.
"It is already time to target the close circle of Putin," she said. "This list is not yet large enough and sufficient and is very low-level." The final number of officials was expected late Thursday.
Beyond punishing Russia on Thursday, the EU also wanted to show backing for Ukraine, which lost Crimea to Moscow on Tuesday.
British Prime Minster David Cameron said that the two-day summit would also focus on strengthening Ukraine's fledgling government, calling on the 28 EU nations' need to bolster the new Ukrainian authorities with political commitments and economic aid.
Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk will sign a political agreement Friday with EU leaders, underscoring Europe's commitment to the new leadership in Kiev.
Despite the tough talk, there also is concern about inflicting too much economic damage.
The bloc is Moscow's biggest trading partner, and Russia is the EU's third-largest partner, mostly thanks to exports of raw materials such as oil and gas. Because of the multi-billion trade exchanges, any step toward economic sanctions will not be taken lightly.
"The Russian economy is already hurt by what Putin is doing," Reinfeldt said. A spree of retaliatory sanctions would hurt everyone, he said. "We need to prepare ourselves and that means of course hurting ourselves in a way."
JUST BECAUSE SISSY SAYS SO DOESN'T MAKE IT SO...BUT HE THINKS IT DOES!!!!! JUST BECAUSE MC1 SAYS SO DOESN'T MAKE IT SO!!!!!
(Off topic, but much of this thread hijack is off topic) "YESTERDAY" "Yesterday" is a song originally recorded by the Beatles for their 1965 album Help!. Although credited to "Lennon–McCartney", the song was written solely by Paul McCartney. It remains popular today with more than 2,200 cover versions, and is one of the most covered songs in the history of recorded music. "Yesterday" was voted the best song of the 20th century in a 1999 BBC Radio 2 poll of music experts and listeners and was also voted the No. 1 Pop song of all time by MTV and Rolling Stone magazine the following year. In 1997, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) asserts that it was performed over seven million times in the 20th century alone.
Yea DVOR, The Beatles are hacks.
I didn't say that they were "hacks." I did say that they were NOT as great as all the hype and, quite frankly, I don't care for any of their songs. There were, IMHO, a lot better British and American groups. BTW - regardless of polls - the FACT is that the Beatles did NOT write all of their songs - and - it is a FACT that they "borrowed" songs from others. The standard procedure for their label was that if a lesser known musician had a song that the Beatles wanted (Elvis and others did the same) -- the record label would sign the lesser known musician and include wording in the contract that a) the lesser known musician's song book became the property of the label and b) the lesser known musician was unable to record with any other label for the life of the contract. Basically, the label was putting the lesser known musician "on ice." Elvis' label tried to do that to Dolly Parton - when she was just an unknown singer-songwriter. Elvis had heard and wanted to record "I will always love you." They thought Dolly was a just a dumb, hick country girl who would jump at signing a recording contract (one with the above mentioned clauses buried in the legalese). To her credit, Dolly told Elvis' label - and actually Elvis himself - that she would have to take the contract home and have her lawyer look it over. Elvis and his label was furious. To that Dolly responded " well, my parents didn't raise me to be stupid" and walked away.
George Amedore & Christian Klueg for NYS Senate 2016 Pete Vroman for State Assembly 2016[/size][/color]
"For this is what America is all about. It is the uncrossed desert and the unclimbed ridge. It is the star that is not reached and the harvest that is sleeping in the unplowed ground." Lyndon Baines Johnson
Logged
