LAST UPDATE | 25 Feb 2022

THE EU HAS formally agreed to sanction Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov over their decision to invade Ukraine.

The measures were added today after being raised in overnight discussions by EU leaders on a new sanctions package that EU foreign ministers from the 27-nation bloc were to validate, EU officials told AFP.

“President Putin and Foreign Minister Lavrov are in the list of sanctioned people together with the remaining members of the Duma (Russian parliament) who are supporting this aggression,” Josep Borrell told reporters after a meeting of the EU ministers in Brussels.

Speaking to media earlier this afternoon, Ireland’s Foreign Affairs minister Simon Coveney said “it is the right thing to do” and that Ireland supports the move. 

This means that European assets linked to both Putin and Lavrov will be frozen.

Germany and Italy were hesitant to apply the measure, but most EU countries were in favour of it, two officials said on condition of anonymity.

The asset freeze on Putin and Lavrov was first reported by the Financial Times based on three sources who said neither of the Russians would be subject to an EU travel ban in order to keep diplomatic channels open.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday the new EU sanctions package targeted “the highest officials” in Russia.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said as he arrived for the EU meeting in Brussels with his counterparts that, given Russia’s undeterred military action on Ukraine, further sanctions were likely.

“This (latest packet of sanctions) isn’t enough. We need to choke the (Russian) system and in particular further target the oligarchs,” he said.