EU and US unveil sanctions after Crimea vote

SIMFEROPOL: The European Union and Washington Monday sanctioned top Russians and Ukrainians deemed responsible for a breakaway vote in Crimea that has fanned the worst East-West standoff since the Cold War.
Official results from Sunday’s disputed referendum showed 96.77 per cent of voters in the mostly Russian-speaking region of Ukraine had opted for Kremlin rule in what would be the most radical redrawing of the map of Europe since Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence from Serbia.
Crimea’s lawmakers Monday formally asked to join Russia and vowed to disband Ukrainian military units stationed across the region—a move that threatens to inflame the raging security crisis on the European Union’s eastern frontier.
The joint response from the European Union and Washington was both swift and tough.
EU foreign ministers unveiled travel bans and asset freezes against 13 Russian officials and eight Ukrainian officials from Crimea, but did not identify them.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius tweeted that there would be “more EU measures in (a) few days”.
The group was officially targeted “for undermining the sovereignty of Ukraine”. Crimea has been under effective control of Russian troops and pro-Kremlin militia since the start of the month.
The EU’s punitive measures were followed minutes later by a White House announcement that the United States was imposing financial sanctions on seven top Russian government officials and lawmakers in reprisal for the Kremlin’s incursion.