EU delays new sanctions against Russia

The European Union (EU) has reportedly decided to delay imposing new sanctions against Russia over the Ukrainian crisis.

During a meeting of the EU Council in the Belgian capital, Brussels, on Tuesday, the ambassadors of the 28-nation bloc postponed taking further measures against Moscow until next week.

Senior EU diplomats cited a number of “positive developments,” including last week’s release of the observers of the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) by the pro-Russia activists, as the reason behind the move.

“(They) decided [that] they will monitor the situation,” said an EU diplomat, whose name was not mentioned in reports, adding, “The picture on the ground is mixed. In the meantime, there are intensified preparations for sanctions.”

The development came on the same day that the Ukrainian government refused to extend its proposed ten-day ceasefire in the country’s restive east and resumed the active phase of its military actions against the pro-Russia activists in the region.

The EU has already imposed a number of sanctions against Russian, Crimean and other pro-Russia figures following a decision by Ukraine’s then autonomous region of Crimea to join the Russian Federation in March.

The latest round of the anti-Russia sanctions were imposed on May 12, when EU foreign ministers added 13 more Russian and Crimean individuals as well as 2 Crimean companies to Brussels’ sanctions list, which already consisted of 48 individuals.

Washington and Brussels accuse Moscow of fueling the crisis in Ukraine; Russia rejects the claim.

Ukraine’s mainly Russian-speaking parts in the east have witnesses deadly clashes between pro-Russia forces and the Ukrainian army since Kiev launched military operations against the protests in mid-April.