April 29, 2014 -- Updated 1747 GMT (0147 HKT)
The European Union named another 15 people Tuesday who will face
sanctions over the crisis in Ukraine; among them, a number of
high-ranking Russian officials. FULL STORY
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WHO'S NOT ON THE LIST?
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UNREST CONTINUES
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UNREST CONTINUES
Ukraine crisis: EU sanctions target 15 individuals
April 29, 2014 -- Updated 2028 GMT (0428 HKT)
Russian billionaires avoid new sanctions
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Russian Foreign Ministry slams EU sanctions as "new unfriendly gestures"
- EU sanctions list includes Russia's deputy prime minister and its military chief
- EU foreign policy chief urges Russia to take concrete steps to ease situation in Ukraine
- International leaders are determined to get stolen assets back, U.S. attorney general says
The EU said Monday
the people are collectively responsible for actions that "undermine or
threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of
Ukraine."
The targets include
Dmitry Kozak, Russia's deputy prime minister; Russian military chief
Valery Gerasimov; and pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine, including
Denis Pushilin, the self-declared leader of the "Donetsk People's
Republic."
EU foreign policy chief
Catherine Ashton said she was alarmed by the worsening security
situation in eastern Ukraine, and she called on Russia to take "concrete
steps" in support of an international deal signed this month aimed at
easing tensions.
New round of sanctions on Russia
Donetsk besieged by violence, protesters
Occupations run with military precision
Photos: Crisis in Ukraine
She warned that if necessary, the European Union "will look at possible additional individual measures" related to the crisis.
Ashton also condemned an
attack on the mayor of Kharkiv on Monday and the continued detention by
pro-Russian militants of a team of military observers from the
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
"All persons still illegally detained by armed groups in eastern Ukraine need to be immediately released," she said.
On Tuesday, pro-Russian activists in eastern Ukraine took control of the regional government headquarters in Luhansk.
On his official website,
Acting President Oleksander Turchinov said the events in eastern Ukraine
"illustrated inactivity, helplessness, and sometimes criminal betrayal
of the law enforcement agencies in the Donetsk and (Luhansk) regions."
He added, "It is hard to
admit, but it is true. The vast majority of the law enforcement
officials in the East are not able to fulfill their obligations to
protect our citizens."
New heads of security have been appointed in Donetsk and Luhansk, he said.
Western nations accuse
Moscow of supporting the separatist gunmen who are occupying official
buildings in cities across the region and are holding the OSCE team
hostage.
Russia disputes that claim, saying it has no direct influence over the pro-Russian activists.
Russia: 'Aren't you ashamed?'
In a statement on its
website Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said the EU sanctions
"cannot but cause rejection" and show a lack of comprehension of
Ukraine's internal political situation.
"Instead of making the
Kiev faction sit at the negotiating table with southeastern Ukraine, our
partners follow Washington's lead with new unfriendly gestures
regarding Russia," it said.
The EU action is "a
direct invitation for local neo-Nazis to continue to promote anarchy and
outrages regarding the civilians of the southeast," it said, repeating
Russia's contention that ultranationalist groups are behind the unrest
in Ukraine.
The statement concluded with the question, "Aren't you ashamed?"
On Monday, Russia promised a painful response to sanctions imposed by the United States.
Sergei Ryabkov, Russia's
deputy minister for foreign relations, called the U.S. measures
"meaningless, shameful, and disgusting."
"It will only intensify
all the processes in Ukraine which it intends to change or stop,"
Ryabkov told CNN, speaking English. "The U.S. does literally nothing to
impress its cronies and clients in Kiev on whom there is full
responsibility for constant deterioration of the situation in Ukraine.
This is what needs to be changed and not the policy of Russia.
"A response of Moscow will follow, and it will be painfully felt in Washington."
Observers detained in eastern Ukraine
Living on the edge in eastern Ukraine
'Chaotic' situation unfolding in Ukraine
Russia has not specified what measures it will impose against Western interests.
U.S. sanctions
But U.S. Secretary of
State John Kerry appeared unfazed. He pledged Tuesday in an address to
the Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank, that NATO would stand
united to defend its members' territorial integrity.
In its latest round of
sanctions, the United States targeted seven Russian government officials
and 17 companies linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The White House said the
seven Russians, including two from Putin's inner circle, are subject to
a freeze on any assets they may hold in the United States and a ban on
U.S. travel.
The two seen as closest
to Putin are Igor Sechin, chairman of Russian oil giant Rosneft, and
Sergey Chemezov, director general of Rostec, a state-owned industrial
conglomerate in Russia. The companies the United States named are linked
to officials and oligarchs who were designated last month, and the list
included neither Rosneft itself nor gas exporter Gazprom.
In addition, the United
States will deny export license applications for any high-technology
items that could contribute to Russian military capabilities. The
Commerce and State departments will revoke any existing export licenses
that meet these conditions, the White House said in a statement.
The move, Obama told
reporters in Manila, Philippines, was intended to spur Putin to "walk
the walk, not just talk the talk" in resolving the crisis in Ukraine.
If the latest round of sanctions does not work, the next phase could target economic sectors like banking, Obama said.
In all, the United
States and European Union have imposed asset freezes and travel bans on
66 individuals, most of them senior Russian officials. The United States
has sanctioned 18 companies in total.
'Stolen assets'
Meanwhile, Britain is
hosting a two-day international meeting aimed at helping Ukraine's
government recover stolen assets, following claims of widespread
corruption within the government of ousted Ukrainian President Viktor
Yanukovych.
UK Home Secretary
Theresa May, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and the head of the
Ukrainian delegation, acting Prosecutor General Oleh Makhnitskyi, are
all taking part in the London forum.
"What we have committed to do is to persevere, to follow leads wherever we can find them," said Holder.
Makhnitskyi said
investigators were focused on years when Yanukovych and his associates
were in charge. "The Ukrainian society already demands results from the
government," he said.
Yanukovych fled to
Russia in February after months of street protests that were sparked by
his decision to drop closer trade ties with Europe and turn instead
toward Moscow.
In Ukraine, presidential elections have been called for May 25. But Oleg Tsarev said he had dropped out of the race.
On his website, he said
that he received death threats when he arrived in Kiev and that
Ukrainian National Television turned down his request to participate in
televised debates.
"In this regard, I have
decided to withdraw my candidacy, because in such circumstances, being a
candidate is not helpful," Tsarev said. "We will seek other channels
and opportunities to convey our thoughts and positions to residents of
the central and western Ukraine."
Kharkiv mayor being treated in Israel
Kharkiv Mayor Gennady
Kernes, who underwent surgery after being shot in the back Monday, is
being treated in Israel, a hospital official said Tuesday.
Kernes arrived overnight at Elisha Hospital in Haifa, the hospital's chief accountant Jacob Karwasser told CNN.
The mayor was in stable condition, he said, and has family members with him.
It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the shooting. Police said an investigation was under way.
CNN's Tom Watkins, Phil Black, Victoria
Butenko, Stephanie Halasz, Carol Jordan, Alla Eshchenko, Alexander
Felton and Brooke Bowman contributed to this report.
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