The Yermak-McFaul International Expert Group published the Action plan to increase sanctions pressure on russia. The group includes Ukrainian and foreign experts and was established at the initiative of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The plan is published by the Office of the President.
“This document will be the basis for further work of our government to increase sanctions pressure on russia. We will offer our partners this list as a basis for coordinating the implementation of sanctions. By the way, the document itself contains provisions on the synchronization of sanctions pressure from democratic countries,” the Head of the Office of the President Andrii Yermak said.
The first item of the document specifies the need to expand oil and gas sanctions, that is to introduce a complete ban and embargo on russian oil products, gas, and coal. It is stressed that the EU has to undertake to stop the trade in oil products with belarus and the rf.
As interim steps, a special import duty for russian raw materials is proposed, which would allow making moscow to reduce the price and, consequently, revenues.
It is proposed toexpand transportation-related and insurance-related sanctions. It means to set a goal to ban transportation by sea, on-land transportation, and transportation by railways from russia to the democratic world, except for that relating to global food security.
New finances-related sanctions are proposed to expand measures of disconnecting all russian financial institutions from the world financial system. To ban providing specialized services of financial messaging for the exchange of financial data.
It is also stressed that the rf has to be recognized as the state–sponsor of terrorism, and its armed forces as a foreign terrorist organization.
The group also proposes to strengthen individual sanctions against certain categories of personsand impose them on all russians holding high state positions, for example, the rank of a vice-minister or higher in the russia’s government, member of the board of the Central bank of russia or the national bank of belarus, or holding an equivalent rank at law enforcement services or judicial authorities, as well as against their closest family members with providing evidence of unlawful conduct.
Sanctions are proposed to be imposed on all putin’s propagandists, including those employed at RTR Planet, Russia 24, NV Mir, Soyuz TV channel, Channel 8 International, Belarus 24, Victory, First Channel Europe, RT Arabic, RT Documentary, RT News, RT en Español , RT UK, RT France, RT DE, and other mass media financed by russian state or state companies.
Sanctions are proposed to be strengthened against state enterprises of russia and belarus, measures of export control to be expanded, and import of strategically important highly technological products to be banned.
Besides, the group insists on imposing secondary sanctions on аny financial institution or company, which by its activity fills in the lost demand for business related to russia and which previously was used by members of the sanctions coalition.
It is also proposed to create a register of all international companies still operating in russia and belarus.
The sixth package of EU sanctions may include an embargo on russian oil and gas. Some countries, in particular, Poland, Germany, and Baltic countries have started reducing the purchase of energy resources from the rf.