20/03/2014 World News Today

This is BBC World News today with me, Zeinab Badawi. Tit-for-tat,

President Obama announces further sanctions against Russia and Moscow

retaliates and imposes sanctions on leading American politicians and

officials. EU leaders tough and rhetoric over Crimea. Will they back

the words with actions? Mr Obama says he will work with the. We have

been working harder to introduce more severe actions if Russia

escalates. Gunmen storm a hotel in Kabul.

Australia says it is the best lead so far. Could these satellite images

showed debris from the missing Malaysian airliner? Ships and planes

are scouring the South Indian Ocean to find out.

And Vera Lynn, the Forces' Sweetheart, is releasing a new album

at the age of 97. Should she inspire us to rethink what we can do in

older age? Hello and welcome. EU leaders are

preparing for dinner tonight after a day of discussion on what action to

take against Russia in the light of its decision to absorb Crimea.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says EU leaders will agree new sanctions

but the key issue is how extensive and deep they will be and whether

they will take effect. In the US, President Obama has announced

Washington is widening its travel ban and asset freeze on Russian

officials. Russia has retaliated and imposed sanctions on leading

officials including Senator John McCain.

In Crimea Bay are issuing Russian passports as Moscow continues to

tighten its grip on the breakaway Ukrainian republic. For EU leaders

in Brussels the immediate issue is extending travel bans and asset

freezes in response to the annexation. In longer term perhaps

the total reevaluation of the relationship with Moscow. President

Obama emerged with a new warning of more widespread sanctions if Russia

escalates the situation further. I signed a new order today that gives

of -- gives us the authority to impose sanctions not only on

individuals but key sectors of the Russian economy. This is not our

preferred outcome. These sanctions will not only have a significant

impact on the Russian economy but also the global economy. The UN's

top diplomat has been in Moscow for talks with, well, the man of the

moment. During our meeting I have emphasised

that all parties refrain from any hasty or provocative actions that

could further exacerbate already very tense and volatile situations.

But no hint of a shift in Moscow's position. The lower house of their

parliament has formally annexed Crimea and they have announced

sanctions against US politicians. Our policy to protect our

compatriots remains unchanged. We will defend their issues by legal

diplomatic and means. It still looks like a new deep freeze in Russian

relations with the West. European Union leaders are meeting

in Brussels to discuss the situation and possible further sanctions. For

the latest we are joined by Iain Watson. Give us an idea of the kind

of mood there. Is it hardening against Russia, is there cohesion,

Unity? I think it is a pragmatic mood overall. Here the temperature

is dropping but it has not dropped as far as it has in the US. A range

of things were discussed, including making it very difficult for the

annexed Crimea to export to the European Union, they have looked at

extending the list of 21 Russians and Ukrainians associated with the

former regime, travel bans and asset freezes. What a also want to do is

draw up a list of further sanctions to be imposed if Russia goes any

further. That is what they have been talking about this afternoon but

when the you leaders have dinner in the next few minutes things will

become more difficult to get a complete consensus. -- the European

Union leaders. The Tory consensus is that there must be consequences for

Russia, but other countries operate dependent on Russian energy

supplies. I don't think we will see anything like the same scale of

sanctions that the Americans are imposing. One thing I have been told

is that there will be no talk of sanctions against Russian financial

institutions. America has made sanctions against at least one

Russian financial institution will stop picking up on what he was

saying, let me bring you the numbers.

You will see that the Europeans have much closer trade on energy and

financial ties with the Russians compared with the Americans. Last

year the trading of goods between Russia and the European union

totalled almost US$450 billion. The Russian total was less than $40

million. Ian Bond is with the Centre for European Reform but he is a

former British ambassador to Latvia, which was part of the Soviet

Union, and is now part of the European Union. Picking up on what

Ian said, the fact is that the bottom line for the European Union

is that we want to say Russia did something wrong as long as we do not

hurt ourselves. If we stick to that it makes it very difficult. We need

to be compared to accept some pain if we are going to send an effective

signal. It is a bit misleading to talk in terms of the amount of

trade, when what the Americans are doing at the moment is targeting

leading members of President Putin's circle rather than looking

at a broad scope of trade sanctions. But the fact is, the figures show

just how far the ties do go, and therefore that may be a constraint

on actions. Does that in your views say that the European Union actions

against Russia are pathetic and toothless, as Malcolm Rifkind said?

-- your view. I think he was right. The figures sound impressive but the

European Union trade with Russia is less than with Switzerland. Do you

see the European Union and the US, Obama saying we want to act

together, slightly going at a different speed at the moment? Yes,

the Americans have been much more willing to target people close to

President Putin. They had a shorter list in their first package but at

least three people had desks in the Kremlin. Including the Deputy Prime

Minister. Yes, and this list is focused on people who are close

either personally, financially or politically to President Putin. The

European Union list was really 21 people that Putin would probably

barely recognise in the street. Do you think that we will look at this

crisis over the Crimea and say that this is a