Germany has said it is proposing a new batch of sanctions against Russia over the death of Alexei Navalny as EU ministers met his widow, Yulia Navalnaya, in Brussels.
“We have seen the brutal force with which the Russian president represses his own citizens who take to the streets to demonstrate for freedom or write about it in newspapers,” the German foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, said on Monday. “We will propose new sanctions in light of the death of Alexei Navalny.”
Sanctions could include the use of frozen Russian assets, a move that would be in addition to a levy Belgium exacts from interest on immobilised cash reserves.
After Hungary dropped its opposition, EU foreign ministers agreed a 13th round of sanctions against Russia on Monday. The bloc will now start studying ways of hitting back at Putin in a 14th round in the coming weeks.
The death of the Russian opposition leader in a penal colony cast a long shadow over the Brussels meeting, with the EU’s chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, proposing that the EU’s global human rights sanctions regime be renamed.
I am proposing to EU Member States to rename our Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime the "Navalny Regime".
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) February 19, 2024
To honour his memory, for his name to be written on the work of the EU in the defence of human rights around the world. pic.twitter.com/yIGfpcDWBE
“I am proposing to EU member states to rename our global human rights sanctions regime the ‘Navalny regime’. To honour his memory, for his name to be written on the work of the EU in the defence of human rights around the world,” Borrell said.
His message came as Navalnaya released a powerful video saying she would continue her late husband’s work and fight for Russia.
The shock of Navalny’s death has imbued Monday’s summit with a renewed sense of nervousness verging on panic about the war in Ukraine, with the country’s neighbours decrying what they see as Europe’s lack of urgency in relation to military support.
The Lithuania foreign minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis, launched a scathing attack on fellow leaders, imploring them to treat the situation with renewed vigour.
“We spent two years discussing, trying to figure out the way that we can help Ukraine bit by bit,” he said. “But unfortunately, since we did not formulate a strategic goal for what we are trying to achieve, we’re unable to declare that we’re in this for the victory.”
While EU leaders had been arguing over money, Landsbergis added, Russia had amassed firepower at a 6:1 advantage over Ukraine. He urged the EU to stop dithering about military funds. Germany, he said, had been doing the heavy lifting with €17bn contributed so far, while Europe was still debating a fund of €5bn a year.
“Europe should be able or could be able to form a fund of €5bn when you know, Germany alone is considering sending €7bn. So for the 27 countries of Europe, €5bn should be a day’s work, an hour’s work,” Landsbergis said.
He was not the only Baltic politician to not mince his words. Margus Tsahkna, Estonia’s foreign minister, said as he arrived: “[Vladimir] Putin is a murderer. He has murdered one person who fought for freedom for democracy and this is exactly why we have to keep going.
“We have to give support to Ukraine by military ways and by political ways. We have to give Ukraine this 1m round of ammunition that EU actually has promised a year ago for this March.”
EU diplomats have acknowledged that the EU has failed to meet this ammunition target, admitting recently it was only producing 500,000 rounds of ammunition and that the target would not be met until the end of the year.
The Belgian foreign minister, Hadja Lahbib, urged EU leaders to consider developing a European army, something first mooted by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, in 2018.
“If Russia manages to expand, it is a dictatorship that will expand and move a little closer to the European Union. It is essential that, here too, we are united, that we develop a defence capacity together, that we also develop an army, not only to defend our territory, but also our values,” Lahbib said.
Borrell told reporters that the EU would redouble efforts to choke off funds to the Kremlin’s military machine. Foreign ministers wre considering the 13th round of sanctions, the biggest list since the first round in the aftermath of the outbreak of war two years ago.
Borrell said member states would propose sanctions “for sure against those responsible”, while making it clear he considered direct responsibility to lie with Putin.
“We can go down the institutional structure of the penitentiary system in Russia,” Borrell said, indicating whom the bloc would add to its list of people subjected to asset freezes and travel bans. “But don’t forget who is really responsible for Navalny’s death.”
