Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg opposed excessive sanctions due to the situation with the founder of the Anti-Corruption Fund (FBK, included by the Ministry of Justice in the register of organizations performing the functions of a foreign agent) Alexei Navalny. He is quoted by the Welt am Sonntag newspaper.
The Foreign Minister warned against an overreaction to what happened to the Russian and urged Western countries not to “cut the branch on which we are sitting.” According to Schallenberg, for this it is necessary to carefully consider the sanctions list so that it does not raise doubts from a legal point of view. The diplomat suggested that, on the one hand, Brussels and Moscow need to establish a dialogue, and on the other hand, clearly declare their disagreement with certain actions.
“On Monday, at a meeting of foreign ministers, we will discuss a proportionate response to the situation with Navalny. This includes targeted measures against individuals within the framework of the newly created sanctions regime for human rights violations. I expect that this will be supported by the vast majority,” he said Schallenberg.
Reuters, citing diplomatic sources, reported that the European Union may impose entry bans and freeze the assets of supporters of Russian President Vladimir Putin in connection with the protest over the Navalny case. This possibility is associated with the willingness of France and Germany to take such measures. At the same time, Paris and Berlin may abandon tougher sanctions, for example, against the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline. Agency sources noted that the final decision will be made at a meeting of the Council of EU Foreign Ministers on February 22.
In early February, the court changed Navalny’s suspended sentence in the Yves Rocher case to a real one, sentencing him to 3.5 years in a general regime colony. This decision drew strong criticism from Western countries.