The European Union (EU) plans to sanction Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Foriegn Minister Sergey Lavrov, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told reporters Friday.
Baerbock made the remarks on her way to the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, Belgium, CNN’s Nadine Schmidt, who is based in Berlin, wrote.
"We now also list the President of the Republic Mr. Putin and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Lavrov," Baerbock said to the reporters. "They are responsible for the fact that innocent people die in Ukraine, they are responsible for the fact that the international system is trampled upon and we as Europeans do not accept that.”
The Washington Post reported that EU officials “agreed early Friday morning to sanctions that targeted finance, transportation and energy, imposed export controls and included new visa measures. They also added more Russian individuals to a sanctions list.”
Sources familiar with the matter told the Post that the EU plans freeze Putin and Lavrov’s assets in another wave of sanctions. It did not specify what assets Putin and Lavrov have in the EU. However, neither would be barred from travel in the EU. As of yet, Russia has not been severed from the international SWIFT banking platform.
“The move, which comes as the bloc puts final touches on its second round of sanctions and starts working on a third, is expected to be approved Friday afternoon.
European Council President Charles Michel said Friday that there was ‘urgent preparation’ for more sanctions on Russia for invading Ukraine. ‘The senseless suffering and loss of civilian life must stop,’ he tweeted.
‘Second wave of sanctions with massive and severe consequences politically agreed last night,’ he continued. ‘Further package under urgent preparation.’
It was not immediately clear if the asset freezes would go in the second or potential third package.”
“We will hit the Putin system where it needs to be hit, not only economically and financially, but at its core of power,” Baerbock said to reporters. “And that’s why we have to list not only oligarchs, but also the many members of parliament who have prepared these steps, and we are also now listing the President of the Republic, Mr Putin and the foreign minister Sergei Lavrov.”
This week, President of the European Commission Ursula Von der Leyen said that the EU would hit Russia with a package of sanctions.
“What we are facing is an unprecedented act of aggression by the Russian leadership against a sovereign, independent country,” she said in an emergency statement.
“President Putin is responsible for bringing war back to Europe” she added. “For that, we will hold Russia accountable.”
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