New sanctions show that EU intends to continue exerting pressure on Russia - Pushkov
MOSCOW. Feb 16 (Interfax) - Alexei Pushkov, the head of the State Duma committee on international affairs, has called the expansion of the EU sanctions list, which causes Russia to take measures in response, "counterproductive."
"I believe it's a counterproductive step, and it, of course, worsens the political atmosphere and complicates political dialogue between Moscow and Brussels," Pushkov told Interfax on Monday.
Pushkov said this step does not help the observance of the Minsk agreement, but gives a negative signal that nothing has changed and the European Union still intends to exert tough pressure on Russia.
"Naturally, it creates an appropriate atmosphere in Moscow. We will now consider expanding our own lists, which we are introducing on the EU due to this list," the parliamentarian said.
Pushkov said he believes this continues the logic of conflict that determined Russian-EU relations before the Minsk negotiations.
"It seems to me that a pause should have been taken in this logic of conflict due to the success of the negotiations and the role played by Russia. It would never have been too late to impose these sanctions. If they had been frozen, I believe it would have been the right signal from the EU," the parliamentarian said.
The new individual sanctions imposed by the EU in regard of the situation in Ukraine, which comprise 19 private individuals and nine legal entities, were published on Monday morning. Among the people on the list are Russian First Deputy Defense Minister Arkady Bakhin, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov, Eduard Basurin of the Defense Ministry of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and State Duma members Iosif Kobzon and Valery Rashkin.