Luxembourg:
Britain, France and Germany aim to persuade the European Union today to condemn Russia’s devastating air campaign in Syria and pave the way for imposing more sanctions on the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. The bloc also plans to continue pushing for humanitarian aid to reach the besieged city of Aleppo.
Diplomats say the European Union will also call for a ceasefire with an observation mission, a renewed push for peace talks to include EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and immediate access for an EU aid package announced on October, 2nd.
But Britain and France, with the support of Germany, want to go further, pushing for economic sanctions on some 20 Syrians suspected of directing attacks on civilians. They would be added to the EU’s existing sanctions list of some 200 Syrians.
Sanctions already include an oil and arms embargo and a ban on dealing with the Syrian central bank. Paris and London may push other EU leaders on Thursday to consider travel bans and asset freezes on as many as 12 Russians involved in the Syrian conflict.