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Russia rejects EU bans as illogical, vows to respond

A pro-Russia fighter stands on top of a tank in Debaltseve, eastern Ukraine, February 9, 2015. (AFP photo)

The Russian Foreign Ministry has condemned as "inconsistent and illogical” the latest European Union (EU) sanctions against Moscow over Ukraine’s crisis, vowing to respond accordingly.

"We note how inconsistent and illogical it is that every time that a hope appears of a solution to the crisis inside Ukraine, the European Union rushes to bring in new anti-Russian restrictions,” read the statement issued by Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Monday.

"Such decisions ... will be followed by an appropriate response," the statement added.

The statement also said the recent sanctions "go against common sense" and "look particularly ridiculous" after Germany and France, two EU member states, mediated a ceasefire deal between Kiev and pro-Russia forces in eastern Ukraine.

As the latest in the string of sanctions against Moscow, the EU imposed travel bans and asset freezes on five prominent Russian officials including First Deputy Defense Minister Arkady BakhinDeputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov and a member of parliament, Iosif Kobzon.

Russia bans suit US most

Meanwhile, Russia’s ambassador to the EU said Washington reaps the utmost advantage from the EU sanctions against Moscow.

"Our trade with the EU traditionally exceeded trade volumes with the US 11-12 times and in the best years our trade hit a billion euros a day. The preliminary results of 2014 show that our trade with the EU fell by 10-11%,” said Vladimir Chizhov.

The United States is “seeking to build up its economic advantage at the current sensitive stage of its post-crisis recovery and fill the niches emerging on the Russian and other markets," he added.

East Ukraine ceasefire deal

Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko were in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, on February 11-12, for marathon talks over a ceasefire deal for Ukraine.

The negotiating sides agreed on the withdrawal of heavy weapons from Ukraine’s frontlines and a ceasefire, which officially went into effect at 2200 GMT on Saturday.

Back in September 2014, the representatives of Ukraine, Russia, and the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Lugansk signed another ceasefire deal in Minsk. However, the truce was violated on an almost daily basis by both the Ukrainian military and the pro-Russia forces.

Source of conflict

Russia has been hit with a series of sanctions by the US and the European Union, which accuse Moscow of supporting pro-Russia forces in eastern Ukraine. Russia categorically denies the allegation.

Donetsk and Lugansk are two mainly Russian-speaking regions in eastern Ukraine, which were hit by deadly clashes between pro-Russia forces and the Ukrainian army after Kiev launched military operations in April last year to crush pro-Russia protests there.

In May 2014, the situation in the two flashpoint regions started to worsen as residents overwhelmingly voted for independence from Ukraine in a referendum.

The fighting has taken a heavy toll on thousands of people. More than 5,500 people have died and some 12,200 wounded in the conflict, the UN says. Around 1.5 million people have been also forced from their homes over the past months of turmoil.

FNR/HMV/SS


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