European Politicians Call for Increased Sanctions Against Russia

A number of senior European politicians on Tuesday, December 6, spoke about the possibility of new sanctions against Russia in response to the country's seizure of three Ukrainian naval vessels, an action that the West fears could escalate the conflict between the two countries. Meanwhile, the market has reacted to the potential sanctions against Russia, which could damage the country's economy, although the Russian ruble managed to recover somewhat on Tuesday, rising slightly in value. On Sunday, Russia opened fire on Ukrainian vessels near the Crimean Peninsula and confiscated them. Crimea, which was previously part of Ukraine, was annexed by Russia four years ago. The Ukrainian parliament approved the imposition of martial law in the country. Moscow claims that Kyiv deliberately provoked Russia by sending these vessels to escalate the crisis. Russian President Vladimir Putin also stated on Monday during a phone call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel that Moscow is ready to provide more details about the incident. Merkel, who spoke with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, called for a reduction in hostilities between the two countries and for negotiations to take place. Meanwhile, Norbert Röttgen, a conservative German politician and close ally of Merkel, stated that the European Union may intensify its sanctions against Russia. Karin Kneissl, Austria's foreign minister, who holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, said that the EU might consider new sanctions against Russia depending on the explanations from both sides and the review of the incident. Poland and Estonia have also supported the sanctions. Bartosz Cichocki, Poland's deputy foreign minister, told Reuters that this event shows that Warsaw's call for a more united Western stance against Russia was correct. He stated, "Russia has mistakenly created the impression that the West's response is not united... because the West has one stance on energy issues and another on defense issues." This Polish official's remark refers to Germany's support for the construction of a gas pipeline from Russia to Germany, which makes the West more dependent on Russian gas than before. According to diplomatic sources cited by Reuters, the foreign ministers of EU member states will discuss the details of this issue on December 19. The report adds that European leaders are also expected to reach an agreement on intensifying existing sanctions against Russia by late December.