EU Frets Over Russia Sanctions Amid Fragile Ukraine Truce
By Jonathan Stearns and Daryna Krasnolutska Sep 10, 2014 5:00 PM ET
European Union nations are struggling to agree on a trigger for extra sanctions against Russia over its encroachment in Ukraine as a cease-fire and troop withdrawal bolster the case for holding off.
EU ambassadors are due to resume deliberations on the matter today in Brussels after failing to reach a verdict yesterday. The 28-nation bloc on Sept. 8 put on hold for at least a “few days” a second package of economic penalties to assess the viability of the truce without risking further trade retaliation by the Kremlin.
“Some countries are asking more time,” Italian Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini, the EU’s next foreign-policy chief, told a conference in Brussels yesterday. “The cease-fire is basically holding. We expect further steps to be implemented on the positive side in the coming days or hours.”
With the EU and the U.S. threatening to impose their toughest measures yet against the Kremlin, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Russia is beginning to withdraw its troops from the conflict zones near their border.
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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-09-10/eu-frets-over-russia-sanctions-amid-fragile-ukraine-truce.html
