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On 20 February in Brussels, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius attended the Foreign Affairs Council’s extraordinary meeting to discuss the EU’s response to the tragic events in Ukraine.

The European Union’s member states have adopted a political decision to introduce targeted sanctions including asset freeze and visa ban against those responsible for human rights violations, repressions and the bloodshed in Ukraine.  

“The sanctions are in no way against Ukraine as a country, but only against those whose actions have created an atmosphere of impunity, those who are responsible for the deteriorating situation in Ukraine. We hope that the sanctions will force the decision-makers to rethink their actions and start to behave differently,” the Lithuanian Foreign Minister said.

The Council adopted the conclusions that strongly condemn the outbreak of violence and the use of force in Kyiv, which caused a few dozen deaths and hundreds of injuries on Maidan Square, and urged the Ukrainian Government to refrain from using force without further delay. The EU Foreign Ministers also urged all sides to call a truce and engage in a political dialogue on a new Government, constitutional reform and democratic elections to help de-escalate the situation in the country, because it is spinning out of control.

“How many more Ukrainians must die for those responsible for repressions and the bloodshed to be identified? I believe that the EU’s strict reaction of today and the imposition of sanctions against those responsible for the use of force in Ukraine will send a strong signal that the European Union will not tolerate violence and atrocities. The political process should be carried out democratically. Moreover, full respect for human rights and the right to freedom of peaceful assembly must be guaranteed,” L.Linkevičius said.

The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton convened the Council’s extraordinary meeting to discuss the EU’s response to the events in Ukraine.

Please click here to read the Council conclusions on Ukraine.