Austria has mulled over the possibility of new sanctions against Russia due to the detention of three Ukrainian Navy vessels that sailed toward the Kerch Strait in what Moscow has described as an unequivocal provocation committed in violation of international law.
At a secret meeting of the Political and Security Committee in Brussels on Tuesday, French and German diplomats spoke out against stepping up existing EU sanctions against Russia in light of the growing rift between Moscow and Kiev over the Kerch Strait incident, Die Welt reported.
UN Security Council Discusses Kerch Incident (VIDEO)
They reportedly said that it was essential to take confidence-building measures that do not include sanctions.
Instead, the German and French governments wanted to continue their diplomatic efforts taking into account the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which may play a crucial role in resolving the standoff in the Kerch Strait.
In the meantime, a French Foreign Ministry spokesperson shied away from either confirming or denying media reports that Paris and Berlin opposed a new set of sanctions against Russia during a Wednesday briefing.
Karin Kneissl, foreign minister of Austria, which holds the EU's rotating presidency, previously said that the bloc would consider additional sanctions against Russia ‘depending on the exposition of facts and the further conduct of both…
