“Due to the extremely negative development of the situation on the ground, with the continuation and exacerbation of Russian military aggression, we had the first discussion at the political level about new measures and new sanctions,” Santos Silva said in Brussels. A new meeting of EU foreign ministers is devoted to Russia’s military attack on Ukraine.
The minister specified that the 27 countries are specifically considering “new measures to isolate Russia in international organizations, specifically in multilateral financial institutions” and “the expansion of the list of Russian figures associated with the oligarchy and the regime that will be punished.”
Santos Silva revealed that the names to be added to the list are already under discussion, noting that “with the full support of Portugal, Poland has submitted the first additional list”, and it is now necessary to “comply with the established rules of legal procedures in the HUH space”.
“But certainly in the coming days or weeks we will add to the list of natural Russians subject to sanctions for being politically, militarily or economically linked to the regime,” he added. [o Presidente russo Vladimir] Putin is a new natural or legal person.
The minister added that “the extension of economic sanctions was also discussed, especially with regard to the ban on access to the SWIFT system or the ban on economic or financial transactions in the European space.”
Santos Silva stressed that what is on the table “is not the creation of new sanctions frameworks, but an addition to the measures already approved by the ‘EU’ of new entities, be it oligarchs, banks, other Russian companies or economic entities” in relation to the EU. He considers it “necessary to punish them in view of their responsibilities in the current aggression.”
In response to a question about how Portugal will implement the sanctions that have already been agreed upon among the 27, the minister replied that the Portuguese authorities are complying with them “immediately and fully”.
“As you know, there was an application from someone with Russian citizenship for an investment residence permit that was immediately suspended. As a precaution, we also suspended all procedures for any Russian national, precisely because this sanctions regime is dynamic,” he said.
Augusto Santos Silva added that Portugal had already implemented “the ban that has already been enacted in relation to a number of Russian banks in accessing the international payment system SWIFT” and “in relation to energy”, he reiterated that “the dependence on the relationship for Russia is what remains in the field of gas, And in the field of oil, the Portuguese company that buys oil from Russia [Galp] She announced yesterday or the day before yesterday that she would stop doing that.”
The head of Portuguese diplomacy also stressed the importance of “attention now to the full implementation of the sanctions and measures” that have already been approved “and to assess their impact”, considering that this is a “very important stage”, because it is necessary “to ensure full implementation on the ground, that the flaws, and that the “holes “The ones that are there are always corrected and filled in correctly.”
Augusto Santos Silva participated today in Brussels in separate meetings of NATO and EU foreign ministers, both of which were held in expanded coordination. The Chiefs of Diplomacy of the European Union, Finland and Sweden were also invited to the NATO meeting, the Chiefs of Diplomacy of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and the Secretary General of BORN.
In the early hours of February 24, Russia launched a 3D military offensive in Ukraine, with ground forces and bombings in several cities. The Kyiv authorities have so far killed more than 2,000 civilians, including children, and according to the United Nations, the attacks have already caused more than 1.2 million refugees in Poland, Hungary, Moldova and Romania, among other countries.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has justified the “special military operation” in Ukraine with the need to disarm the neighboring country, saying it is the only way for Russia to defend itself and ensure the offensive continues as long as possible.
The attack was condemned by the entire international community, and the European Union and the United States, among others, responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and strengthening economic sanctions to further isolate Moscow.
ACC // PAL
Lusa / end
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