The EU decided to take only incremental new measures to punish Russia for this week’s annexation of Crimea, adding 12 names to the 21 Russian and Crimean officials subject to EU visa bans and asset freezes but putting off indefinitely any further sanctions.
In addition to the new names, which EU officials said included a Russian journalist, leaders also cancelled a planned EU-Russia summit and agreed to sign new integration treaties with Moldova and Georgia within three months. But at a summit in Brussels on Thursday night, they failed to impose broader economic and trade sanctions, only tasking the European Commission to prepare such measures if Russia further destabilises Ukraine.
“The European Council recalls that any further steps by the Russian Federation to destabilise the situation in Ukraine would lead to additional and far reaching consequences for relations in a broad range of economic areas,” the leaders agreed in a summit communiqué.