- Amid continued unrest and scattered reports of violence in eastern and southern Ukraine, the US and EU have moved to impose additional sanctions on Russian persons.
- As with the prior rounds, the new designations of Russian individuals and companies are intended to put further pressure on the Russian leadership to take action to de-escalate tensions in Ukraine.
- In announcing US sanctions, President Obama indicated that the US was responding to what it says is the failure by Russia to implement the Geneva agreement of April 17.
- The EU has indicated that its sanctions target persons it says are ‘responsible for actions which undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine’.
- Neither the US nor the EU has moved to implement sector-wide sanctions on the Russian financial, mining or other sectors.
- President Obama and EU leaders have indicated that further broadening the sanctions in this way should be reserved as a response to any further escalation of conflict in Ukraine.