Elmar Brok: New sanctions against Russia should be imposed immediately

There are no reasons to delay putting new EU sanctions into effect, because no truce is possible until Russian troops are withdrawn from Ukraine.

The statement was made by Elmar Brok, the Chairman of the EP Foreign Affairs Committee, Novy Region reports.

He is convinced that new sanctions against Russia that were approved on September 8 should be immediately published in the EU Official Journal so that they can enter in force.

“If the European Union adopts restrictive measures but does not implement them, it makes a mockery of itself in Moscow and the rest of the world,” the politician told Die Welt in an interview.

According to Brok, there are no reasons to delay the implementation of the new restrictive measures due to the agreed ceasefire in eastern Ukraine. “A ceasefire is possible only if all Russian soldiers leave Ukraine. Unfortunately, we cannot speak about it now.”

Representatives of 28 EU members states discuss today their further actions on strengthening sanctions against Russia.