The economic measures prevent EU citizens and companies from investing in Crimea and Sevastopol. Russia's annexation of the peninsula in 2014 prompted the sanctions.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Macdougall
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The European Union extended economic sanctions on Crimea and its port city of Sevastopol on Monday. The 28-member bloc imposed the measures after Russia annexed the Black Sea peninsula four years ago.
The EU said it remains "firmly committed to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," reiterating that "it does not recognize and continues to condemn this violation of international law."
The measures — which will now stay in place until June 23, 2019 — ban the import of products originating in Crimea. They also prevent EU nationals or companies based in the bloc from investing or buying real estate in Crimea and Sevastopol, and ban EU cruise ships from docking there, except in an emergency.
The move comes three weeks after French lawmakers voted in favor of a resolution to lift parallel sanctions targeting Russia — currently set to expire at the end of next month — over its role in an ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine. "(The sanctions are) totally ineffective today to solve this international crisis and are dangerous for France's interests," said conservative MP Thierry Mariani, who put forward the resolution.
Some French lawmakers also highlighted the importance of forming an "alliance" with Russia to fight the "Islamic State", a common enemy, and find a solution to the Syrian conflict.
More than 10,000 people have been killed in eastern Ukraine since an insurgency broke in April 2014 following the annexation of Crimea. The EU insists Russia must be held to account for its backing of the separatists in the conflict. Moscow has repeatedly denied support for the rebels and blames Brussels for aiding the overthrow of a legitimate government in Kyiv, referring to the ouster of a pro-Russian president in February 2014 after three months of sometimes deadly protests.
The 2014 Ukraine crisis prompted EU states to close ranks with the US and impose sanctions on Russia. Most mainstream politicians remain wary of Moscow, leaving a political vacuum that EU populists are ready to fill.
Image: DW/S. Elkin
Strache wants to end sanctions
Austria's Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache has repeatedly called for EU sanctions against Russia to be lifted. Strache, who is also the leader of the populist FPÖ party, criticized NATO expansion to the east. "It wasn't Russia who was the aggressor in recent decades, who was trying to spread its zone of military influence towards the border of the European Union," he said in 2015.
Image: Reuters/H. Bader
Jean-Marie Le Pen, Russia, and the 'white world'
Far-right veteran Jean-Marie Le Pen got into trouble in 2015, when, in addition to saying gas chambers were a "detail" of history, he claimed that France should get along with Russia to save the "white world." These statements prompted his daughter Marine to push him ouf of the Front National party.
Image: Reuters/G. Fuentes
Marine Le Pen denies claims of Putin influence
French nationalist leader Marine Le Pen has described sanctions against Russia as "completely stupid." She also claimed Crimea "has always been Russian." Her party admits to taking loans from Russian banks, but Le Pen rejected claims of Moscow's influence as outrageous and harmful. The photo shows her meeting with Vladmir Putin in the Kremlin in 2017.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/M. Klimentyev
AFD's Alice Weidel, Alexander Gauland, and Russia - it's complicated
Germany's anti-migrant AFD party is relatively popular among German voters with Russian background. Senior members of the party, including then-leader Frauke Petry, meet Putin's ruling party lawmakers in Moscow in 2017. The AFD also believes the EU sanctions are a "farce." However, party co-leader Alexander Gauland denies that the party supports Putin and "his authoritarian regime."
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/U. Deck
Viktor Orban and the special relationship with Putin
Hungarian strongman Viktor Orban often hosts Russia's Vladimir Putin in Budapest and the two leaders share many similarities in their ruling style. Orban has complained that politicians in Brussels must "demonize" Putin in order to be considered good Europeans. However, Hungary also joined the UK-led diplomatic offensive by expelling Russian diplomats over the poisoning of Sergei Skripal.
Image: Reuters/Laszlo Balogh
Geert Wilders under fire for visiting Moscow
Dutch right-wing politician Geert Wilders slammed Russia after flight MH17 was shot down in 2014 and backed sanctions against the country In 2018, however, he sparked outrage from relatives of MH17 victims by decrying "russophobia" during a Moscow visit. Wilders describes himself as a "a big fan of NATO and of the Americans" but says Russia could be an ally against migration and Islamic terrorism.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/P. Dejong
Matteo Salvini and the new rulers in Rome
Italy's populist League and the Five Star Movement form a ruling coalition in Italy. Both parties oppose sanctions on Russia and NATO's "aggressive" buildup in Eastern Europe. Following the elections, the League's leader Matteo Salvini said he wanted "to work for peace, not for war. I do not want to assemble little tanks like the game of Risk.”
