BRUSSELS European Union foreign ministers, citing momentum behind a new peace initiative, on Monday delayed for a week the implementation of sanctions against a new group of individuals and companies in Russia and eastern Ukraine, EU officials said.
The EU had been set to add 19 people and nine entities to its targeted sanctions list. But following hopeful reports from the French and Germans, whose countries are leading the new peace push, foreign ministers agreed to adopt the measure but delay its effective date until Feb. 16.
The leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany are scheduled to meet Wednesday in Belarus. If those talks go well, the EU could cancel the expansion of sanctions altogether, which would require the agreement of all 28 EU countries.
That is far from certain, but the European ministers wanted to signal they were giving the effort every chance. Until the last few days, the situation in Ukraine was completely blocked, said French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius. Things are beginning just beginning, we must be careful to move.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier was even less confident as the EU foreign ministers met in Brussels. Nothing is secured yet, Steinmeier said. A lot of hard work remains to be done.
Many ministers stressed that they remain wary of Russian promises. But after weeks of bad news a surge of violence, military gains by rebels, little flexibility by Russia they appeared eager to grasp at even the potential for progress.
An expanded version of this report appears on WSJ.com
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The Wall Street Journal: EU delays new Russia sanctions to give peace effort a chance