Canadian media reported Thursday after the Associated Press that Freeland was to make a proposal to allow a “takeover” of sanctions during a G7 meeting in Germany last week, inspired by talks with Russia’s oligarchs.
Canadian Deputy Prime Minister, before joining the government, was a journalist in Moscow, then met with many of the current oligarchs. She is the author of books on the formation of the Russian oligarchy.
According to Associated Press sources, Ukraine knows about this proposal and does not reject such a possibility. On the other hand, Western allies also hope that some oligarchy can distance themselves from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Meanwhile, the European Commission proposed, on Wednesday, adding violations of sanctions against Russia to the list of EU crimes. This is to ensure that the assets of persons and entities violating the restrictive measures can be effectively confiscated in the future.
We need to make sure that people or companies that circumvent EU restrictions are held accountable. Doing so is a crime that should be severely punished across the European Union. Currently, differing criminal definitions and penalties for violation of penalties may lead to impunity. EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said we need to close loopholes and provide judicial authorities with the right tools to prosecute violations of EU sanctions.
