EU decides to impose sanctions on Russia

London

 The Meeting of European Union foreign ministers held in Luxembourg on Monday has decided to extend the sanctions on Russia which was imposed a year ago due to the country’s military occupation in Crimea and eastern Ukraine, a EU spokeswoman said.

The sanctions consist of asset freezes on some Russian companies and people as well as travel bans against certain officials.

A Kremlin spokesman condemned the extension of the sanctions.

"Russia, naturally, considers these sanctions to be unfounded and illegal, and we have never been the instigators of sanction measures," the spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told journalists.

Peskov said Russia would respond by extending measures against the European Union, which include restrictions on the import to Russia of foodstuffs from the EU.

The Kremlin spokesman said the restrictive measures undermine the interest of EU taxpayers.

 Upheaval started with rejection of EU agreement

The sanctions, and the events that preceded their imposition, reflect the tug of war between East and West over the future of Ukraine -- and the divisions within the country as well, between ethnic Russians and Ukrainian speakers who want closer ties with the European Union.

The turmoil began in earnest when President Viktor Yanukovych, a Russian speaker, decided not to sign an agreement for closer ties with the EU, as he had planned. Instead, he opted for closer ties with Russia.