EU takes measures against pro-Russian Ukrainian rebels

(Vatican Radio) The Russian government on Saturday urged the European Union to lift sanctions against Russia, promising in turn to waive its embargo on western foodstuffs. A top official of the European Union rejected the idea, as the bloc imposed new measures aimed at pro-Russian separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine. The EU and the United States imposed economic sanctions on Russia in late July, targeting energy, banking and defence interests in the country, as part of efforts to punish Russia for its support of the rebels operating in Ukraine’s east.