The Financial Times has called on the European Union to put in place a “tough sanctions package” on leading members of the Ukranian government, as EU ministers and foreign policy envoy Catherine Ashton are set to meet later today.
Violence in the Ukraine has claimed dozens of lives, as anti-government protestors clashed with security forces this week. Despite a truce being declared between the government and opposition leaders, renewed clashes have left a reported 17 people dead. The latest violence comes as EU Foreign Ministers met besieged President Viktor Yanukovich.
Commenting on Yanukovich, the FT stated,
“Ukraine’s present plight is largely the fault of President Yanukovich. True, he came to power in broadly fair elections in 2010. But egged on by Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, he has committed a string of mistakes that undermine both his authority and his legitimacy... Amid the turmoil, he has never negotiated with the opposition in good faith. After this week’s violence, it is impossible to treat him as anything other than an international pariah.”
The editorial went on to state,
“Throughout this crisis the EU has threatened to respond toughly to any crackdown by the Yanukovich regime. ...[I]t must deliver on that threat. The EU should impose visa bans and asset freezes on leading regime figures. Pressure should also be brought on Ukraine’s oligarchs, who hold sway over a substantial number of pro-Yanukovich parliamentarians. The EU and US should make clear that if these oligarchs fail to stop Mr Yanukovich pressing ahead with his crackdown, their assets in the west will be frozen.”
“What is vital, however, is that the US and EU now go beyond the usual round of plaintive phone calls to Kiev and take punitive action. ... It is time for the US and EU to take steps showing the Yanukovich regime that relations will never be the same again if they continue on this bloody path.”
See the full piece here.