The EU sanctions (click here) announced on 12 September targeted Russia's state finances, energy and arms sectors. These are sectors managed by the powerful elite around President Vladimir Putin.
Russian state banks are now excluded from raising long-term loans in the EU, exports of dual-use equipment for military use in Russia are banned, future EU-Russia arms deals are banned and the EU will not export a wide range of oil industry technology.
Three major state oil firms are targeted: Rosneft, Transneft and Gazprom Neft, the oil unit of gas giant Gazprom.
But the gas industry, space technology and nuclear energy are excluded from sanctions.
Dozens of senior Russian officials and separatist leaders are now subject to Western asset freezes and travel bans....
...The EU sanctions announced on 12 September targeted Russia's state finances, energy and arms sectors. These are sectors managed by the powerful elite around President Vladimir Putin.
Russian state banks are now excluded from raising long-term loans in the EU, exports of dual-use equipment for military use in Russia are banned, future EU-Russia arms deals are banned and the EU will not export a wide range of oil industry technology.
Three major state oil firms are targeted: Rosneft, Transneft and Gazprom Neft, the oil unit of gas giant Gazprom....
April 10, 2015
Latvia, current holder of the EU presidency, (click here) said on Friday it was surprised by Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras's criticism of European Union sanctions against Russia.
The Latvian prime minister's comments came after left-wing Tsipras met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, and lashed out against what he termed the EUs «vicious cycle of sanctions».
But Latvia's Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma said Athens had approved an extension of EU sanctions just last month.
"At that meeting in March Greece's prime minister accepted a common position,» she told reporters during a visit to neighboring Lithuania....
April 11, 2015
Belgium has not asked Russia (click here) to
lift the embargo on its food products, and such issues should be
discussed between the EU and Russia, says Belgian Foreign Minister and
Council of Europe Committee of Ministers Chairman Didier Reynders.
"Belgium pursues its policy in solidarity with the European Union, and therefore such proposals on softening the embargo should be discussed between the EU and Russia. We didn't touch upon this matter at negotiations with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov," Reynders said in an interview with Interfax.
"We work within the framework of the European Union's position, and therefore Belgium has not put forward any special demands for Russia regarding the food embargo," he said....
Russia has been threatening the Netherlands with nuclear capacity due to a potential application to NATO. That first occurred in 2014. In June of 2014 NATO moved troops into the Czech Republic. Today, there are military exercises and the Russia threat has been renewed. There is an Op-Ed in RT about the foolishness of the sanctions. It was only a few weeks ago Russia floated a ship into the bay near the Netherlands.
There are tensions in the region and they are not only about Ukraine.
April 10, 2015
By
NATO, (click here) which has been continuously monitoring the changed security environment in Europe amid continued threats and posturings from Russia, has just undertaken a military drill to test just how fast and quick reaction forces under the Very High Joint Readiness Task Force or VJTF, could deploy and assemble. The first military drill, held in both the Czech Republic and the Netherlands, involved 1,500 NATO troops from 11 member states.
Initially, the alliance mandated that its rapid reaction force must be able to respond within five to seven days in the event any geo-political threat arises in the region. But its leaders thought the timeline was too long and that it gives the enemy too much freedom to create chaos and destabilisation in its chosen target.
"Belgium pursues its policy in solidarity with the European Union, and therefore such proposals on softening the embargo should be discussed between the EU and Russia. We didn't touch upon this matter at negotiations with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov," Reynders said in an interview with Interfax.
"We work within the framework of the European Union's position, and therefore Belgium has not put forward any special demands for Russia regarding the food embargo," he said....
Russia has been threatening the Netherlands with nuclear capacity due to a potential application to NATO. That first occurred in 2014. In June of 2014 NATO moved troops into the Czech Republic. Today, there are military exercises and the Russia threat has been renewed. There is an Op-Ed in RT about the foolishness of the sanctions. It was only a few weeks ago Russia floated a ship into the bay near the Netherlands.
There are tensions in the region and they are not only about Ukraine.
April 10, 2015
By
NATO, (click here) which has been continuously monitoring the changed security environment in Europe amid continued threats and posturings from Russia, has just undertaken a military drill to test just how fast and quick reaction forces under the Very High Joint Readiness Task Force or VJTF, could deploy and assemble. The first military drill, held in both the Czech Republic and the Netherlands, involved 1,500 NATO troops from 11 member states.
Initially, the alliance mandated that its rapid reaction force must be able to respond within five to seven days in the event any geo-political threat arises in the region. But its leaders thought the timeline was too long and that it gives the enemy too much freedom to create chaos and destabilisation in its chosen target.
