Sanctions on Russia must be far-reaching, says Polish gov't spokesman

The government spokesperson has stated that the steps taken by Polish diplomacy are designed to make sanctions on Russia as far-reaching as possible.

"Soft or incomplete sanctions will be an invitation for Vladimir Putin to go deep into Ukraine," Piotr Mueller told reporters on Tuesday.

"We must be aware of this. That is why Poland is striving for these sanctions to be as far-reaching as possible," he said, adding that, if sanctions were to be adopted on the European level, they would have to be approved by all EU countries.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Monday recognising the self-declared 'people's republics' of Luhansk and Donetsk in eastern Ukraine as independent states, and there are now reports that Russian troops have entered eastern Ukraine.

On Tuesday, President Putin got the green light from his upper house of parliament on Tuesday to deploy Russian military forces to two separatist-held regions of eastern Ukraine for what lawmakers said would be a "peacekeeping" mission.

Repeating the prime minister's 'positive opinion' about Chancellor Olaf Scholz's decision to freeze the Nord Stream 2 pipeline so that its certification could not take place for now, Mueller stated that "Poland expects the pipeline to be definitely closed down."

Mueller added that Poland also wanted Nord Stream 1 to be either suspended or closed down as they were tools of gas pressure which were in the hands of Vladimir Putin.

The NS2 project bypasses Eastern Europe, including the traditional transit country Ukraine, and eastern EU members fear it could be used by the Kremlin to exert pressure on the EU.

Praising Great Britain's decision to impose sanctions on Russian banks, he said that "such signals must reach the international community in order to send an unequivocal signal that there will be no consent to Russia's further actions."

Mueller said that other potential sanctions should include, among other actions, the limitation of financial transactions, the closure of the flow of financial means between Russia and other countries, and the seizure of assets of Russian oligarchs in Europe.

"Only such actions can have an impact on Russia," Mueller concluded.