The EU has decided to freeze European assets linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov over their decision to attacked Ukraine, EU officials notified on AFP on Friday.
The measures were expanded on Friday after being lifted in overnight conversations by European Union leaders on a new sanctions package that EU foreign ministers from the 27-nation bloc were to substantiate.
Germany and Italy were unwilling to apply the measure, but most EU nations were in favour of it, two officials announced on condition of anonymity.
The property freeze on Putin and Lavrov was first documented by the Financial Times based on three sources who asserted neither of the Russians would be subject to an EU travel denial in order to keep diplomatic channels free.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Friday that the new EU approves package targeted “the highest officials” in Russia.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian announced as he reached for the EU meeting in Brussels with his counterparts that, given Russia’s undeterred military action on Ukraine, further sanctions were plausible.
“This (latest packet of sanctions) isn’t enough. We wish to choke the (Russian) system and in special further target the oligarchs,” he announced.
