Ukraine foreign minister calls for more sanctions against Russia: 'Hit hard. Hit now.'

Vladimir Putin of Russia.

Alexei Nikolsky\TASS via Getty Images

• Ukraine's foreign minister urged harsher economic sanctions on Russia.
• He said Ukraine was grateful for steps taken already: "Now the pressure needs to step up to stop Putin."
• The US and UK unveiled sanctions against Russia on Tuesday, and the EU agreed on its own package.

Ukraine's foreign minister urged countries to put more economic sanctions on Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, telling them: "Hit more. Hit more. Hit now."

Dmytro Kuleba tweeted on Wednesday: "To stop Putin from further aggression, we call on partners to impose more sanctions on Russia now. First decisive steps were taken yesterday, and we are grateful for them. Now the pressure needs to step up to stop Putin. Hit his economy and cronies. Hit more. Hit hard. Hit now."

The US and UK unveiled harsh sanctions against Russia on Tuesday, and European Union countries agreed to impose a first round of sanctions. All 27 member countries on the European Union need to agree on those plans before they can be implemented.

The sanctions came a day after Putin recognized Kremlin-backed separatists' territorial claims in eastern Ukraine and ordered troops into the region in a possible lead-up to a major attack.

The US sanctions target Russian financial institutions, the country's sovereign debt, and Russian elites.

The UK's sanctions target Russian banks and billionaires, and the foreign minister said they can be escalated if Russia continues its actions in Ukraine.

Australia said it will impose sanctions if Russia takes further action in Ukraine.

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