Jourová: Putin should be on sanctions list

Russian President Vladimir Putin should be the first name on the list of sanctions enacted against Russia following the country’s aggression against Ukraine, European Commissioner Věra Jourová told daily Hospodářské Noviny on Wednesday. The fact that Putin is not on Tuesday’s EU sanctions list is an act of weakness rather than effective diplomacy, Jourová said.

The EU extended its sanctions on Russia on Tuesday following Russia’s recognition of the so-called independent Donetsk and Lugansk republics and advance into these territories legally owned by Ukraine. Further sanctions will be implemented if Russia continues to act aggressively.