Kuleba: EU should impose sanctions on Russia over human rights violations in Crimea

Kuleba made a corresponding statement at a joint press conference with Minister for Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis in Kyiv on February 23, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

Kuleba said that Landsbergis arrived in Kyiv after a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, so much attention was paid to the EU-Ukraine cooperation during their conversation.

"We welcome the decision of the European Union to impose sanctions against the Russian Federation in response to the arrest of Alexei Navalny. But I took the opportunity to express my deep conviction that the EU's human rights sanctions regime should be applied to those who violate human rights in the occupied Crimea," Kuleba said.

He also noted that he had discussed with the Lithuanian minister the situation in Belarus and the last meeting between President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko.

Kuleba added that he and his Lithuanian colleague were concerned about the situation in Belarus as it is "our neighbor."

The foreign ministers of the EU Member States made a political decision on February 22 to impose restrictive measures against four Russian officials involved in illegal actions against Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny and his arrest, as well as in crackdown on peaceful demonstrations in his support. New sanctions against Russia are due to be approved by EU member states within a week.

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