The European Union is likely to ban entry to “allies” of Russian President Vladimir Putin and freeze their assets. This was reported by Reuters, citing diplomatic sources.
According to the sources, Berlin and Paris are unlikely to support tough sanctions, including against the Nord Stream-2 pipeline, but they have already agreed to restrictions.
It is noted that Poland, the Baltic States, the Czech Republic, and Romania have already insisted on sanctions. Thus, the decision may be taken at the meeting of the Council of the EU foreign ministers on February 22.
“We can no longer avoid sanctions… There is a consensus, including Germany, in favor of sanctions. We cannot respond differently,” an anonymous diplomat was quoted as saying.
Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry had promised the European Union a proportionate response if new sanctions were imposed.
