Here is a video of some comments made to RFE/RL yesterday by Daniel Fried, U.S. State Department’s chief sanctions-policy coordinator. You can read our entire precis of his interview with Tony Wesolowsky here.
U.S. Sanctions Coordinator Impressed By European Resolve Against Russia
The diplomat who oversees U.S. sanctions policy sees European Union leaders still firmly backing measures taken against Russia. During his visit to Prague on June 16, Coordinator for U.S. Sanctions Policy Daniel Fried told RFE/RL that he was impressed with the resolve of current leaders in Europe, after former French President Nicolas Sarkozy called for an end to the sanctions at a Russian economic forum in St. Petersburg,
EU prolongs sanctions against Russia-controlled Crimea:
By RFE/RL
BRUSSELS -- The European Union has agreed to extend its investment ban and other economic sanctions on Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, which was forcibly annexed by Russia in 2014.
The EU sanctions package against Crimea includes a ban on the import of goods originating in Crimea unless they have Ukrainian certificates; a ban on exports to the peninsula related to transport, telecommunications, and the energy sectors -- including the exploration of oil, gas, and mineral resources.
EU companies are also prohibited from investing in Crimea or to finance Crimean companies.
Furthermore, cruise ships that are owned or controlled by a European company or flying the flag of an EU member state may not dock at Crimean ports, including Sevastopol, a naval port city that Russia considers a separate administrative district.
The ban was first imposed when Russia illegally annexed the Ukrainian peninsula two years ago and it has been prolonged every year by the 28 EU member states.
EU ambassadors are expected to discuss a broader list of economic sanctions it has on Russia on June 21, with a view to extending them by six months ahead of the EU summit on June 28-29.
We are now closing the live blog for today. Until we resume again tomorrow morning, you can keep up with all our other Ukraine coverage here.