EU ministers to consider new Russia sanctions in emergency meeting

Top European Union diplomats will hold an emergency meeting late Wednesday on the sidelines of the United Nations to discuss potential new sanctions against Russia after Moscow called up reservists to fight its war in Ukraine.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told a press conference he is "convening an extraordinary and ad hoc informal meeting" of foreign ministers from the 27-nation bloc in New York to coordinate a unified response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's "unacceptable" threats.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told reporters the meeting would discuss Putin's defiant speech, in which he mobilized reservists and made a thinly veiled threat to use nuclear weapons over the Ukraine war.

European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen also spoke out about Putin's new words of aggression, telling CNN that "I think this calls for sanctions from our part again."

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Last week, von der Leyen said the successive waves of EU sanctions against Russia were there to stay and that Europeans must keep their resolve against Moscow.

Borrell, who said he would address the UN Security Council's meeting Thursday on Ukraine, for his part said EU ministers at Wednesday night's gathering would likely "discuss about how to continue our military support to Ukraine, how to continue putting pressure on Russia."

"The questions of sanctions... for sure will be on the table," he added.

Borrell leveled severe criticism at Putin's remarks, particularly that Russia maintained the right to "use all the means at our disposal" to protect the country.

"Threatening with nuclear weapons is a real danger to the whole world, and the international community has to react in front of this threat."

Putin, Borrell said, "is trying to intimidate Ukraine and all countries that support Ukraine. But he will fail."

Source: AFP