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EU foreign ministers agreed in principle on Monday to support a joint Franco-German proposal to impose sanctions on Russian officials for the poisoning of opposition leader A. Navaln, diplomats told AFP news agency.
Three sources said the 27 ministers meeting in Luxembourg had reached a political agreement to start work on measures based on proposals made by Germany and France last week. Both countries said Moscow was responsible for the poisoning of Novavicok, one of the nerve paralyzing substances created in the Soviet Union by Navaln, and said “Russia has not provided any convincing explanation.”
Germany and France have previously said they will impose sanctions on “those responsible for this crime and violations of international standards on the basis of their official duties, as well as an entity involved in the Noviçiok program.”
“We see this as completely irresponsible behavior on the part of our so-called European partners, as they impose sanctions in cases that have no judicial decision. There is no evidence, documents or anything else, “Vladimir Jabarov, deputy chairman of the International Affairs Committee of the upper house of the Russian parliament, told the Interfax news agency.
“I think the answer will be: this cannot go unpunished,” he added.
According to Jabarov, Moscow would likely take a “symmetrical response” to possible EU sanctions, but added that the Russian Foreign Ministry would decide on specific measures.
The United Nations Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) previously confirmed the conclusion of Germany, Sweden and France that Navaln had been poisoned with a substance that paralyzes the Novičiok group’s nerves.
Navaln’s family and comrades claim that the Russian authorities are involved in his poisoning. Moscow denies it.
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