UK's Hammond sees little EU consensus for new Russia sanctions

Thomson Reuters

LONDON (Reuters) - British finance minister Philip Hammond said on Wednesday that European Union countries were divided over hitting individuals in Russia with sanctions, so any fresh measures were likely to reflect "the lowest common denominator".

"We are discussing with European Union partners the measures that the U.S. and others have taken," Hammond told lawmakers in Britain's parliament.

"I think it's probably fair to say that there are varying degrees of appetite within the European Union for further pressure on this group of individuals. And one of the challenges, working within the European Union, is that ... one is required to build a consensus of 28, which means operating frankly at the lower common denominator."

(Reporting by David Milliken, writing by William Schomberg)

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