EU puts Russian Deputy Defense Minister on sanctions list

This list will likely include Russian Deputy Defense Minister Antonov, two defense officials and two members of the country's lower house of parliament.

The list of new sanctions will appear on the official website of the EU press agency on February 16 and will come into effect immediately upon publication.

According to Sputnik News, this new list will include 19 individuals along with 9 Russian and Ukrainian organizations that the EU considers "destabilizing Ukraine".

An EU meeting (Photo Sputnik News)

Earlier, at a meeting on January 29 in Brussels, EU foreign ministers said they had prepared a list of new individuals and organizations subject to EU travel bans and asset freezes.

EU foreign ministers also agreed to extend existing sanctions against 35 entities and 151 individuals, including senior Russian officials and opposition leaders in Lugansk and Donetsk, until September. They were due to expire on March 15.

Later, at a meeting in Brussels from February 5-9, EU foreign ministers confirmed the expanded list of individuals and entities subject to the new sanctions. The list will include Russian Deputy Defense Minister Antonov, two defense officials and two members of the country's lower house of parliament. The remaining names are Ukrainians.

The new EU sanctions were delayed to pave the way for peace talks in Minsk, Belarus, on the situation in Ukraine. At these talks, the leaders of Russia, Germany, Ukraine and France discussed a 13-point draft of steps needed to bring peace to Ukraine.

After the Minsk agreement was approved on the night of February 14, EU leaders said that so far (February 16), this agreement is still respected by all parties in most areas of the war, except for the Debaltseve hotspot./.

According to VOV.VN