Minister Pusić comments on expanded sanctions list ahead of FAC

First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Vesna Pusić ahead of the Foreign Affairs Council’s meeting in Brussels said that that the expanded list of individuals under sanctions would be confirmed

First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Vesna Pusić ahead of the Foreign Affairs Council’s meeting in Brussels said that that the expanded list of individuals under sanctions would be confirmed.

“The list that the EEAS has compiled will be confirmed today. It is defined by three elements: adding new names to the list, expanding the sanctions until September and tasking the EEAS and the Commission to prepare additional actions for the European Council if need be, depending on the development of the situation in Ukraine,” Pusić said, adding that “Ukraine will probably be the topical issue today given the radicalization of the situation in the country and the differing views of the EU and the US on how to tackle it.”

Asked about who was on the list and whether there would be any changes in the positions, Pusić said that the list, apart from certain Russian officials, mostly contained Ukrainian separatists, i.e. leaders of paramilitary, parastate and para-administrative formations, and that there would be no changes in the positions, given the meeting announced for Wednesday.

As for the European Union’s policy towards Russia and whether it actually made the situation in Ukraine worse, Pusić responded that the EU is not divided so much. “It is the EU and America that are divided, as America believes that Ukraine should be helped with arms, while the EU believes for now that the problems should be resolved diplomatically. This need not necessarily be in contradiction because after every war peace is negotiated at the table, diplomatically. At this point it is not possible to resolve the situation without war, because war is already a fact. The question is how quickly the fighting can stop and negotiations can start in search of a solution,” Pusić said.

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