Douglas Alexander, Labour’s Shadow Foreign Secretary, welcoming the EU’s decision to impose targeted measures and targeted sanctions on those individuals responsible for the violence in Ukraine, said:

“In response to the ongoing horrific violence unfolding in Kiev, EU foreign ministers were right to agree targeted EU restrictive measures to put pressure on the Ukrainian authorities to bring the crisis to an end.

“The UK government must now urgently implement the agreed restrictions, in particular asset freezes and visa bans which could take immediate effect.

“The Ukrainian authorities bear a heavy responsibility to de-escalate the crisis and must now open a fresh and serious dialogue with the opposition.”