Ukraine in Arabic | NATO and Russia to impose reciprocal sanctions
KYIV/Ukraine in Arabic/ The European Union plans to complete a procedure of approval of strengthened sanctions against Russia until the end of the day on Monday.
Governments of 28 member countries should confirm this according to the written procedure.
On an instruction of the European Council, the Committee of Permanent Representatives at the EU Council last Friday has agreed on a package of new strengthened sanctions on Russia due to the military aggression against Ukraine. Sanctions include restrictive measures in the sphere of finances, trade in weapons and dual technologies, as well as in the sphere of prospecting and production of energy carriers. The list of sanctions can touch on Rosneft, Gazpromneft, Transneft, Oboronprom, JSC United Aircraft Corporation and UralVagonZavod.
Sanctions suggest that these companies will not be able to borrow from Western banks for more than 30 days.
In addition, Western countries may prohibit exports of products of Russian companies, including Sirius, Stankoinstrument and Kalashnikov.
At ıts turn Russia Russia has warned that it could block international flights through its airspace if the EU goes ahead with new sanctions over the Ukraine conflict.
But an EU spokeswoman said the sanctions would be "reversible", depending on the situation in Ukraine.
Pro-Russian rebels and government troops are observing a fragile truce.
Russia has warned that it could block international flights through its airspace if the EU goes ahead with new measures over the Ukraine conflict.
The pro-Russian separatists have recently made big gains in eastern Ukraine. But a ceasefire agreed on Friday appears to be holding despite some sporadic shooting.
Fighting in the east has killed some 2,600 people since April.
Russia has repeatedly denied accusations by Ukraine and the West that it has been sending troops into Donetsk and Luhansk regions to help the rebels, who want to establish an independent state.
A European Commission spokeswoman said the new sanctions package targeting Russian firms and officials "is due to be formally adopted by member states through a written procedure later today, so the procedure is ongoing".
"It will then be published in the official journal of the EU, which should happen in the course of tomorrow at the latest as plans currently stand," she said.
Publication in the journal puts the sanctions into effect.
Earlier Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev warned that Moscow would respond "asymmetrically" to further sanctions.
A Russian airspace ban "could drive many struggling airlines into bankruptcy", he told a Russian daily.
"If there are sanctions related to the energy sector, or further restrictions on Russia's financial sector, we will have to respond asymmetrically... For example, restrictions in the transport sector.
"We work on the basis of friendly relations with our partners, and that's why Russia's skies are open to flights. But if we are restricted then we'll have to respond," he told
Airlines would have to pay far more for fuel if Russia blocked their routes to Asian destinations, and flight times would be longer in many cases.
Last week an EU official told the BBC that further sanctions would deepen the existing measures, affecting Russia's access to capital markets, dual-use goods which can be used for military purposes, defense equipment and some other sensitive technologies.
They would also expand the visa bans and asset freezes on Russian officials and entities, including separatist leaders in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian authorities in Donetsk region say President Petro Poroshenko is expected to visit Mariupol on Monday.
It is the last city in Donetsk region still held by the Ukrainian government and some shelling was reported there at the weekend. It is a strategic port on the route to Crimea, the peninsula annexed by Russia in March.
There was also some fresh shelling near Donetsk airport. The rebels are still holding the city, and have pushed back Ukrainian forces on the outskirts.
On Sunday, Ukrainian security official Volodymyr Poliovyi said 864 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed since the conflict began.
So far there have been no big prisoner exchanges since the ceasefire took effect.
