By Islamuddin Sajid
ANKARA (AA) - Australia and Japan on Wednesday announced economic sanctions against Russia and two pro-Russian separatist regions in eastern Ukraine.
Australia imposed sanctions on Russian officials and financial institutions and banned trade with the Luhansk and Donetsk regions after Russia recognized them as an independent states on Monday.
"Under a first phase, we will impose travel bans and targeted financial sanctions on eight members of Russia's Security Council," Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Foreign Minister Marise Payne said in a joint statement.
"The Council bears responsibility for the current phase of the invasion by providing policy advice and justification to President (Vladimir) Putin's unilateral declaration recognizing the so-called Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic," they added.
Under the sanctions, Australian individuals and entities were barred from doing business with Rossiya Bank, Promsvyazbank, IS Bank, Genbank and the Black Sea Bank for Development and Reconstruction. This is in addition to restrictions on Australians investing in the Russian state development bank VEB.
Canberra is also sanctioning Donetsk and Luhansk, prohibiting trade with these regions in the sectors of transportation, energy, telecommunications, oil, gas, and minerals.
"We are working with our partners to identify additional individuals who will be subject to these sanctions," said the top Australian officials.
Amid the sharp rise in tensions between Ukraine and Russia, the government also welcomed actions by the US, UK, and Canada against Moscow and praised Germany for suspending the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project.
Authorities also gave Ukrainian nationals living in Australia six-month extensions on their visas if they would have expired by June 30.
At a news conference in Sydney, Morrison had earlier criticized Russia's latest actions as unjustified, unwarranted, unprovoked, unacceptable, and akin to "thugs and bullies."
"Russia is at peak readiness to now complete a full-scale invasion of Ukraine and that is likely to occur within the next 24 hours. And there are even reports already of shelling and things of that nature, which could indicate that it has already begun," Morrison claimed.
"They (Russia) should be called out as thugs and bullies. And quite sadly and tragically, the sheer force of that violence of a thug and a bully is about to be impacted upon the people of Ukraine."
Morrison did not rule out including Putin on its sanctions list or expelling the Russian ambassador in Canberra.
"That step hasn't been taken as yet. Other countries, and I've discussed this with other leaders, they haven't taken those decisions as yet. But we will see where this proceeds."
- Int'l law violations
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also announced a list of economic sanctions against Russia, along with Donetsk and Luhansk.
Tokyo suspended visas for officials from these two regions, froze their assets, and banned trade with Donetsk and Luhansk, Kyodo News Agency reported.
It condemned Russia's recognition of the two regions as independent countries, calling the move a violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, as well as of international law.
"We strongly urge Russia to return to efforts to break the impasse through a diplomatic process," the agency quoted Kishida as telling reporters.
He added that Japan would take more steps in coordination with G7 nations.
The leaders of G-7 countries, including the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the EU, are expected to hold a virtual meeting on Thursday to discuss the current situation of Ukraine.
Kishida noted that Japan's energy supply would not be impacted by the sanctions as it has sufficient reserves of oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG).
In 2014, after invading Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, Moscow began to support separatist forces in eastern Ukraine against the central government, a policy that it has maintained for the past seven years. The conflict has taken more than 13,000 lives, according to the UN.
Putin's latest moves follow Russia amassing some 100,000 troops and heavy equipment in and around its neighbor, with the US and Western countries accusing it of setting the stage for an invasion.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday announced that Moscow was recognizing two eastern Ukrainian breakaway regions as “independent” states, followed quickly by an order sending Russian forces there to “maintain peace.” The two regions are not under Ukrainian government control.
Putin was also authorized by Russian lawmakers to use military force outside of Russia, allowing for the deployment of troops.
Russia has denied it is preparing an invasion and instead claims Western countries undermined its security through NATO’s expansion towards its borders.
The UK, US and Canada have also announced sanctions against Russia, and Germany said it will freeze the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, which was designed to double the flow of Russian gas direct to Germany.