(Bloomberg) — European Union foreign ministers will discuss Ukraine with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken Monday after Washington ordered family members at its embassy in Kyiv to leave due to the “threat of Russian military action.”
The ministers said that “any further military aggression by Russia against Ukraine will have massive consequences and severe costs,” according to the meeting’s conclusions. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly denied he currently plans to attack Ukraine.
So far, the EU has been unwilling to discuss specific sanctions, even behind closed doors, and some countries are worried that certain punishments could hit Europe harder than Russia, particularly amid the current energy crunch.
Key Developments:
- U.S. orders families of diplomats out of Ukraine, citing the risk of a conflict.
- European economies are at risk in a clash with Russia.
- U.K. warns that Russia is plotting to install a pro-Kremlin government in Ukraine.
- German navy head quits after making remarks favorable to Russia.
All times are local (CET).
Germany Yet to Decide on Artillery for Ukraine (12:35 p.m.)
The German government has yet to make a decision on whether to approve a delivery of artillery pieces to Ukraine from Estonia, according to a defense ministry spokesman.
The weapons belonged to the former East German army and were transferred first to Finland and then on to Estonia, spokesman Christian Thiels said at a regular government news conference. Both German and Finnish approval is required before Estonia can deliver them to Ukraine, in line with standard practice in such cases, he added.
Germany has ruled out directly supplying Ukraine with “lethal weapons” despite pressure from Kyiv.
EU Announces Financial Support for Ukraine (12:19 p.m.)
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced new funds for Ukraine that includes an emergency macro-financial assistance package of 1.2 billion euros ($1.4 billion), according to a statement on Monday. The funds will include both grants and loans.
The commission will also start work on a second, longer-term package and plans to allocate another 120 million euros to Ukraine in bilateral assistance.
Latvia Seeks More Support From NATO (11:13 a.m.)
Latvia called on NATO to boost its presence in eastern member states, citing the “continuous” military buildup of Russian and Belarusian forces.
“It is time to increase allied forces presence in the Alliance’s Eastern flank both as measures of defense and deterrence,” Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said on Twitter. NATO has announced several deployments of ships and aircraft to members, including Lithuania and Bulgaria.
Ireland Slams Nearby Russian Naval Exercise (10:36 a.m.)
Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said Russia’s intentions to undertake military exercises about 240 kilometers (149 miles) off the Irish southwest coast is “not welcome and not wanted right now,” particularly given the location would effectively be on the western borders of the EU.
While such an exercise would take place in part of Ireland’s exclusive economic zone, the country doesn’t have the power to stop Russia from doing so since they would be in international waters, he said. “This isn’t time to increase military activity and tension in the context of what’s happening with and in Ukraine at the moment,” Coveney said.
U.K. Withdraws Some Embassy Staff, Dependants From Kyiv (10:36 a.m.)
The U.K. has withdrawn some of its staff and dependents from its Kyiv embassy “in response to growing threat from Russia,” according to a tweet from the foreign office on Monday.
The move comes after the U.S. announced overnight that it was ordering family members of its diplomats to leave Ukraine, while non-essential staff would be able to depart voluntarily.
Romania Urges Faster Sanctions Preparations (10:36 a.m.)
The European Union must speed up its preparations for possible sanctions against Russia, Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu told reporters on his arrival for the Brussels meeting.
Aurescu said “this is the most powerful instrument which the EU can use in order to deter further Russian aggression,” adding that for this reason “we have to speed up the preparation of sanctions.”
The minister said that his colleagues will in their final conclusions “state very firmly that the concept of spheres of influence is obsolete and it should not be used in the current European security context.”
So far the EU has been reluctant to discuss specific penalties for Moscow, causing some to question how firmly the western alliance would respond to Russian action.
Denmark Threatens ‘Never Seen Before’ Sanctions (9:40 a.m.)
Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod warned that the EU was ready to impose sanctions “never seen before” against Russia in the event it invades Ukraine.
“We are ready to undertake the most severe sanctions, also more severe than in 2014,” he said, referring to the measures imposed by the bloc after Russia annexed Crimea. Kofod said Putin would be “totally isolated” and would pay a heavy price if he tried to use military force to change Europe’s borders.
Ukraine Says U.S. Decision to Remove Families ‘Premature’ (9:31 a.m.)
The decision to remove families of U.S. diplomats from Kyiv was “premature,” Oleh Nikolenko, a spokesman from the Ukrainian foreign ministry, said on Monday.
There has been “no significant change in the security situation recently” because the threat of new waves of Russian aggression has been the same since 2014 and the build-up of Russian troops near Ukraine’s border began in April, Nikolenko said.
European Gas Extends Gain With Threat of Conflict (9:21 a.m.)
European natural gas prices gained as much as 7% at start of trading on Monday. Should the tensions between Russia and Ukraine escalate further, uncertainty around the impact on European gas supplies could briefly push prices to fresh records.
Western sanctions on the newly built Nord Stream 2 pipeline would “potentially end up curtailing flows to Europe for an indefinite period,” Goldman Sachs said in a note.
U.S. Mulls Sending Troops to Eastern Europe, Baltics (9:21 a.m.)
U.S. President Joe Biden is considering sending troops, warships and aircraft to Eastern Europe and the Baltics to support allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the New York Times reported.
That could involve sending 1,000 to 5,000 troops to eastern Europe, a number that could be boosted tenfold if necessary, according to the report.
Germany Weighs Evacuating Families of Diplomats (8:53 a.m.)
Germany is considering whether to follow the U.S. in evacuating family members of diplomats from its embassy in Ukraine, according to officials familiar with the discussions.
A decision could be made as soon as Monday, according to a German official, who asked not to be identified because the talks are private.
Invasion Would Halt NS2: Luxembourg Minister (8:53 a.m.)
The almost-completed Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline between Russia and Germany would not be allowed to operate if Moscow decided to invade Ukraine, according to Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn.
“If there is a Russian intervention then we’ll be in a totally different situation,” Asselborn, who has been in the post since 2004, said in an interview with Germany’s Deutschlandfunk radio. “Everyone knows, Putin included, that if there is an invasion no gas will flow through this pipeline.”
EU Says Families of Diplomats Staying in Ukraine (8:26 a.m.)
Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, told reporters ahead of the meeting that the bloc has no plans to ask the families of diplomats in Ukraine to leave, after the U.S. took such a step.
“Secretary Blinken will explain to us the reasons of this announcement,” Borrell said. “We are not going to do the same thing because we don’t know any specific reasons.”
The foreign ministers will not approve a package of possible sanctions against Russia today, Borrell said. “Be sure that everything will be ready when needed, but we are not going to announce any concrete measures.”
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