A spokesman for the EU foreign policy chief confirmed on Tuesday that the annexation referendums organized by Russia in Ukraine are “illegal” and that all those involved in organizing them will be subject to sanctions.
“There will be consequences for all the people who took part in these illegal referendums and for those who supported them,” Stano said at a press conference in Brussels.
The European Union is currently preparing a package of economic sanctions against Russia and its individuals, Luc-Pierre Dauphine, assistant to the head of the EU for foreign policy, said at a meeting of the European Parliament on Tuesday.
“We will add to the list of people who have clearly participated in these surveys,” Dauphin said.
Stano pointed out that European citizens, whom Moscow represents as “international observers” in these annexation referendums, could also be forced on them.
“Any support for these illegal referendums is illegal. Everything depends on participation in this support. Member States will have to determine whether the activities of these people comply with the norms of the sanctions regime and whether there is a need to impose sanctions.”
He stressed that “the process is in the hands of Member States and I do not want to comment on the preparation of the lists.” To introduce new sanctions, a consensus of 27 EU countries is required.
To date, the European Union has imposed six packages of sanctions on Moscow, including a halt in its purchases of coal and oil.
The European bloc has blacklisted more than 1,000 Russians, including President Vladimir Putin and several wealthy individuals, and has restricted the issuance of short-stay visas to regime-linked officials since late February.
