If approved, the assets of the Russian president and foreign minister will be frozen, but their entry into the EU will not be vetoed
The names of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will appear on the European Union’s blacklist. Diplomatic sources confirmed that the new battery of sanctions in which the Twenty-seven are working will hit the two Russian leaders, who will see their assets frozen.
Until now, the EU had ruled out singling out Putin and Lavrov, saying it was necessary to keep diplomatic channels open. However, on Thursday night, European leaders showed their consensus to take this extra step and punish the two most visible heads of the Kremlin.
Brussels has already frozen the assets and has vetoed the Russian Defense Minister, Putin’s chief of staff and the Foreign Affairs spokesman, in addition to the Duma deputies who recognized the independence of the separatist regions of Donetsk and Lugansk. Companies and entities that have supported Russian military movements or have benefited from them are also on the European blacklist. In the case of Putin and Lavrov, for the moment, it does not seem that the European leaders are going to veto their entry into the EU.