Context
Russia has warned over a “sad fate” for Syrian President Bashar Assad as the EU nations on Thursday agreed to extend sanctions against the country. According to reports, EU representatives meeting in Brussels decided to add more names to a sanctions list which already targets Assad and 34 more people, plus military-linked companies associated with the crackdown on dissent. They also decided to consider extending sanctions to the Syrian oil industry, but failed to reach a final decision. Meanwhile, Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev has described Syria’s situation as “dramatic” and expressed his concerns over deadly violence there.
