March 24 (BBC News Europe) Europe's leaders believe their asset freezes and travel bans against
33 Russian and Crimean officials have sent a powerful message. European officials last week insisted that the measures
announced so far are having an impact. But President Putin scoffed at
the moves. Ukraine's Ambassador to the UK, Volodymyr Khandogiy, said
that Europe had not done enough to help Ukraine. "The US," he went on to
say, "is more resolute in their actions and words".
What the Americans have done is to impose sanctions on some
of the Russian president's inner circle and they have moved against Bank
Rossiya - one of the Kremlin's favourite banks. But powerful Russians spend much more time in Europe than in
America. It is where they invest their funds, where they buy their
football clubs, where they party and where often they choose to educate
their children. Europe's leaders, if they chose, could still hurt those
closest to President Putin, but so far they have been very cautious. Other moves are no more than gestures: ending bilateral
Russia-EU summits; declaring the G8 has been replaced by a G7 without
Russia. What is unclear is what precisely would trigger the Europeans
moving to economic sanctions and whether it would be possible to
maintain European unity. And without unanimity there can be no economic
sanctions. Read more at
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26711621
EU leaders have met several times to co-ordinate their response to the Ukraine crisis
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