The European Union summoned the most senior Russian diplomat in Brussels on Monday in a coordinated action with member states to condemn and reject the “unlawful annexation” of part of Ukraine’s territory.
“It is a step at the level of the European Union and coordinated,” Peter Stano, a spokesman for the bloc’s foreign policy chief, told AFP.
European Union countries on Friday began recalling Russian diplomats after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to annex four regions of Ukraine occupied by his forces since the war in February.
Belgium summoned the Russian ambassador on Friday. Italy and Austria followed suit on Monday.
The leaders of the European Union states that they will “never recognize” this “illegal annexation” announced by Moscow, and that the 27 member states are working to impose new sanctions.
Diplomats in the European Union are trying to overcome the opposition of many member states, including Hungary and Greece, to setting a ceiling on the price of Russian oil sold in the world.
The European Union has already imposed seven packages of unprecedented sanctions on Russia. It provides billions of euros in military aid to Ukraine.
