The European Union imposes new sanctions on Russia and Belarus.
The EU has added more figures in Russia to its blacklist and targeted Belarus's banking sector.
On March 9, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced new sanctions by the European Union (EU) targeting Belarus's banking sector and cryptocurrencies, including a ban on supplying maritime navigation technology to Russia and blacklisting 160 businesspeople and several other members of parliament.
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| European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Photo: CEPS |
In a statement on Twitter, Ursula von der Leyen said: “We are further tightening sanctions in response to Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine, adding more individuals to the blacklist including oligarchs, members of the Russian Federation Council, the Belarusian banking sector, exports of maritime technology to Russia, and cryptocurrencies.”
Earlier that day, France, the current rotating president of the European Union Council, announced that the permanent representatives of the member states had agreed on new sanctions against Russian leaders, businesspeople, and their families. The sanctions package was expected to take effect on the night of March 10.
Dmitry Birichevsky, head of the Economic Cooperation Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that Russia is currently studying economic countermeasures. Moscow will respond swiftly and effectively, targeting sensitive areas of the West.
