BRUSSELS, Mar 18: The European Union called on Friday for more countries to impose sanctions on Russia over Moscow's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula two years ago, saying European governments were very worried about Moscow's military build-up in the region.
Vladimir Putin visited Crimea on Friday as Russia marks two years since annexing the peninsula from Ukraine in a move that dramatically impacted its ties with the West.
Putin checked up on the progress of a $3-billion (2.66-billion-euro) bridge project connecting Russia to Crimea, a key link that Moscow hopes will further bind it to the isolated region.
He held talks with Crimea's leadership over the economic development of a region that has been largely cut off by international sanctions and Moscow's ferocious feud with Kiev.  In a statement issued on the anniversary of Russia's formal absorption of Crimea into Russia, the EU also said it will maintain its sanctions that ban European companies from investing in Russian Black Sea oil and gas exploration.
US, Europe, Japan and other major economies including Australia and Canada have imposed sanctions on Russia over Crimea, but others including China and Brazil have avoided direct criticism of Russia.
The European Union imposed its Crimea sanctions in July 2014 and then tightened them in December 2014, banning EU citizens from buying or financing companies in Crimea, whose annexation has prompted the worst East-West stand-off since the Cold War.     ?AFP, REUTERS