EU sanctions Wagner, warns Russia about Ukraine

The EU formally warned Russia against military moves
into Ukraine at the EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Dec. 13. Russia
would face “massive” consequences economically if military action were to occur,
france24.com reported on the same day. EU High Representative for Foreign
Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell stated at the meeting that “any
aggression against Ukraine will come with political consequences and with a
high economic cost for Russia,” dw.com reported on Dec. 13.

Lithuanian foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis
emphasized that if sanctions were needed, they would have to be on an
“unprecedented scale”. Before coming to Brussels, German foreign minister Annalena
Baerbock told ZDF TV on Dec. 12 that if the military situation in Ukraine
deteriorated significantly, the Nord Stream II pipeline “could not come into
service.”

The ministers also voted on a set of sanctions against
Russia’s Wagner mercenaries and associated companies. The sanctions include
members of the leadership of the mercenaries, the company itself, and three oil
companies connected to Wagner’s operations in Syria.

James Hydzik: Baerbock is leading a growing chorus on both sides of the Atlantic
regarding Nord Stream II in terms of Germany’s overall willingness to keep the
pipeline dormant unless Russia plays by the rules it had agreed to. The
realization seems to be sinking in among Europe’s political leaders that the
challenge from Russia is not some local border problem but one bound to affect
Europe as a whole. The sanctions against Wagner are a nice shot across Russia’s
bow for the EU, but the message to Europe’s population still seems to be
couched mostly in terms of borders and rule of law, and not floods of refugees
and interrupted grain flows.