| Series Title | EurActiv |
|---|---|
| Series Details | 12.05.14 |
| Publication Date | 12/05/2014 |
| Content Type | News |
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Russian President Vladimir Putin was received as a hero in Crimea on the 9 May 2014. He visited the peninsula for the first time since Russia annexed it from Ukraine in March 2014, in a gesture of defiance that has angered the Ukrainian leadership and was branded as 'inappropriate' by NATO and Western leaders. The European Union was scheduled to step up pressure on Russia on the 12 May 2014 by taking a first cautious step towards extending sanctions to companies, as well as people, linked to Moscow's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region [check related link for the conclusions of the Foreign Affairs Council meeting]. Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany arrived in Kiev on the 12 May 2014 on Berlin’s latest diplomatic effort to defuse the crisis that has seized the eastern region of Ukraine after Russia’s annexation of Crimea. President of the Council of the European Union, Herman Van Rompuy, met with Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk on 12 May 2014. On the occasion of the visit of Mr. Yatsenyuk to Brussels, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso warned Moscow it was against Russia’s interest to confront with the West and that it was not too late “to engage positively”. The EU provided Ukraine with its first financial aid package, funds for Kyiv's energy bills and political reforms [check related links for more information on the energy crisis and EU/IMF financial help to Ukraine]. In the meantime, the United States criticised France for planning to deliver two warships to Russia despite its actions in Ukraine. State department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told press in Washington on 12 May 2014 that "we have expressed our concerns to the French government over the sale. We'll continue to do so". The United Nations warned of an "alarming deterioration" in human rights in eastern Ukraine, where separatists are fighting security forces. |
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| Source Link | http://www.euractiv.com/sections/europes-east/eu-foreign-ministers-raise-pressure-russia-over-ukraine-302055 |
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| Countries / Regions | Europe |
