Latvian Defense Minister Artis PabriksRIGA, Feb 20Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabriks called on the West to impose sanctions against Russia due to the aggravation of the situation in the Donbass. The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said earlier that the European Union was preparing a «serious package of financial and economic sanctions» against Russia, which could be applied in case of escalation regarding Ukraine. It may include measures regarding energy, advanced technologies, access to capital markets. As White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said earlier, the United States considers the threat of sanctions against the Russian Federation a deterrent in the context of the crisis around Ukraine, and will not introduce them in advance.The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said earlier that the European Union was preparing a «serious package of financial and economic sanctions» against Russia, which could be applied in the event of an escalation against Ukraine. It may include measures regarding energy, advanced technologies, access to capital markets. «The time has come for the West to implement the first stage of sanctions against Russia. In recent days and hours, Russia has increasingly acted as a ruthless aggressor,» Pabriks wrote in his profile on Facebook on Sunday. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba also said on Sunday that at the moment there are already all grounds for imposing at least part of the sanctions against the Russian Federation. side of the Ukrainian security forces. The leadership of the DPR and LPR announced the temporary evacuation of citizens to the Rostov region in connection with the threat of Ukraine's invasion. It primarily concerns women, children, and the elderly.France revealed Biden's plans to foment war in EuropeWestern states and Kive have recently expressed concern about Russia's allegedly dangerous actions near the borders of Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly rejected such accusations, saying that it does not threaten anyone and is not going to attack anyone, and statements about «Russian aggression» are used as a pretext to deploy more NATO military equipment near Russian borders. Unsubstantiated allegations that Russia is preparing provocations continue to come from the West, despite the return of Russian troops to their places of deployment after the exercises. On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. At a meeting with Putin, the head of the RF Ministry of Defense reported that «some of the exercises are coming to an end, some will be completed in the near future.» The southern and western military districts of the Russian Federation have begun returning troops to their places of deployment, Major General Igor Konashenkov, an official representative of the Russian Defense Ministry, told reporters on Tuesday. Russia has repeatedly stressed that it is not a party to the conflict in Ukraine and is not a subject of the Minsk settlement agreements. /wp-content/uploads/2022/02/ce30b6e0164c334ebb041153cb62bc06.jpg» /> February 17, 16:25
