A group of politicians across the globe are urging the EU to enforce sanctions on ten individuals for supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine – including US actor Steven Seagal.
The US-Europe Sanctions Coalition was formed in the autumn of 2022 and consists of senior members of the US Congress, MEPs, and Ukrainian MPs. “Our purpose is to synchronise sanctions in our countries,” Ukrainian MP Oleksii Goncharenko told EURACTIV.
Those mentioned in the list are Russian oligarchs Vladimir Lisin, Magomed Gadzhiev, and Vladimir Potanin, politicians Franz Klintsevich and Ksenia Sobchak, entertainers Philipp Kirkorov, Igor Krutoy, a Russian state company official Aleksey Likhachov and Ukrainian oligarch Vadym Rabinovych, and US actor Steven Seagal.
Seagal is included in this list following his support for the Russian attack on Ukraine and for the aggressive occupation. In addition to social media posts reiterating his support, the actor also flew to Moscow in April to celebrate his birthday with the “great world leader” Putin.
This week, the Coalition wrote to Swedish Foreign Affairs Minister Tobias Billström calling for sanctions to be introduced to these ten individuals.
The Coalition previously called on the EU to sanction these individuals appealing directly to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and High Representative of the EU Josep Borrell at the end of 2022.
According to Goncharenko, countries need to be synchronised in their sanctions. As an example, Vladimir Lisin has a mansion in the UK, factories in Belgium, a home in Miami, a yacht, and so many more luxuries around the world that make synchronized sanctions essential in “punishing” him. “That will be a very bad signal for the world if such people will not be punished,” Goncharenko told EURACTIV. “That is making the victory of Putin’s regime,” he added.
“Those who are guilty, you know, for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, the violation of human rights and atrocities that Russia commits and genocide in general, all those people should be responsible and they should pay their price,” Goncharenko told EURACTIV.
(Sofia Stuart Leeson | EURACTIV.com)
Source: euractiv.com
