THE RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR in Dublin has said that sanctions against Russia will cause a knock-on impact on EU member states such as Ireland. 

Yury Filatov, speaking to The Journal this afternoon, claimed that any move to impose sanctions on Russia would cause a destabilisation of the economy across EU member states.

During the interview he also claimed that his Government will not invade Ukraine – despite the substantial evidence that an invasion is already in the early stages. 

Filatov said that any sanctions by the European Union and its member states will receive a response from Moscow. 

He made the comments shortly before EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced this evening that the EU had reached an agreement on tougher-than-expected sanctions against Russia targeting individuals, companies and banks. 

“Russia has manufactured this crisis and is responsible for the current escalation,” von der Leyen said in a statement. 

The sanctions will limit Russia’s ability to raise capital on the EU’s financial markets, and will ban trade between Donetsk and Lugansk and the EU, among other things. 

The sanctions will also target Russian parliament members who backed recognising breakaway regions as independent and will inflict severe damage on the country, the EU’s foreign policy chief said.

“The sanctions will hurt Russia and will hurt a lot,” Josep Borrell told reporters.

The ambassador claimed that the imposition of sanctions would be a failure of the EU.

“When there is the talk of sanctions, that is a clear indicator that someone has failed with substantial, significant substantive political or diplomatic means of settlement,” he said. 

“That said, it should be really clear that if sanctions are going to be imposed by the EU, of which Ireland is a member, then you have to expect that there will be a proportionate response from Russia.

“That will result in a lose-lose situation for every party involved. I don’t think this is in anybody’s interest to destabilise (the) economic and financial situation in Europe.

“In the midst of the already difficult recovery period from the pandemic, well, these are choices being made,” he said. 

The Ambassador said that he believed Ireland was aware of these “consequences” and claimed that sanctions will “not work” against his country. 

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said this morning that there was no way the EU could ignore “what is a blatant breach of international law”.

Filatov has echoed Putin’s widely-disputed claims that the deployment of troops into the Donetsk and Lugansk was to protect the population in the region. 

The United States and its allies rounded on Russia during an emergency Security Council session last night, denouncing Vladimir Putin’s latest moves a gross violation of international law and “pretext for war”.

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Addressing the council last night, US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield heaped scorn on Putin’s assertion that the Russian troops would take on a peacekeeping role in the Donetsk and Lugansk areas.

“He calls them peacekeepers. This is nonsense. We know what they really are,” Thomas-Greenfield said.

During an appearance before the Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence earlier this month Filatov claimed an invasion was a “fantasy” and said there were no “political, economic, military reasons for such invasion”.

That contradicts comments by the EU and US that they believe an invasion is imminent. 

The Journal asked Filatov does he stand over that claim from his appearance. 

“Certainly I stand by that, it’s quite clear that there have been no plan to invade Ukraine. And there is no plan to do that, at this moment, think that there is anything in the future.

“And what we certainly, and the President (Putin) has spoken about that, is to ensure that the military aggression against the independent republics spoke that’s it. That should have stopped in the first place,” he added.

Filatov claimed that a United Nations peacekeeping force would not be possible in the area. 

“Well, I don’t think that was an option before and I don’t think it’s an option now. I think we are perfectly able to save the Republics (Donetsk and Lugansk),” he said.