• Ar
  • Es
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Feature
  • Videos
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Feature
Videos
Infographs
In Pictures
  1. Home
  2. News
  3. Europe
  4. EU freezes Putin, Lavrov assets over Ukraine operation
Europe

EU freezes Putin, Lavrov assets over Ukraine operation

  • By Al Mayadeen Net
  • Source: Agencies
  • 25 Feb 2022 18:07

In response to the Russian operation in Donbass, Europe is sanctioning Russia's Vladimir Putin and Sergei Lavrov, amid hesitation from Germany and Italy regarding the EU sanctions.

  • Russian President Vladimir Putin with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
    Russian President Vladimir Putin with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov

The European Union has agreed Friday to freeze the European assets linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov over Moscow's operation in Donbass.

The 27-nation block implemented the punitive economic measures after several EU leaders proposed a sanctions package, which Brussels put up for validation by the EU foreign ministers.

Germany and Italy showed some hesitation when it came to implementing the measure, though the majority of fellow EU nations were in favor of it, two officials said on condition of anonymity, AFP reported.

The Financial Times was the first to report on the asset freeze, citing three sources who said the EU was not going to impose a travel ban on Russian officials in order to give diplomatic leeway.

Ahead of the package, French President Emmanuel Macron said the European bloc's sanctions were going to target "the highest officials" in Russia.

Read: Putin, Macron discuss Moscow's operation in Ukraine
 

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian arrived in Brussels, Belgium, for the EU ministerial summit, where he took the chance to say the Europeans were likely to impose further sanctions on Moscow.

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

In the latest exchange of blows in the form of sanctions, Russia issued a ban against UK aircraft entering Russian airspace in response to Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledging to impose a "massive package" of sanctions.

The British pledge was accompanied by a wave of sanctions from the US, Europe, and other Western allies.

The tsunami of sanctions that Russia is repeatedly telling the west has no effect come in light of leader Vladimir Putin authorizing a special military operation in Donbass over the constant Ukrainian shelling of Lugansk and Donetsk People's Republics, whose independence Moscow recognized a few days ahead of the operation.

Moscow's ministry of foreign affairs informed the international community the operation in Ukraine was not the beginning of a war, but rather an attempt at curbing one after the west bombarded the situation with condemnations.

Russia has for months been warning of the threat posed against it by NATO's attempts to expand eastward, which happened simultaneously with an increase in NATO military activity along Russia's borders, and batches of lethal weapons being sent to Ukraine, prompting Russia to request security guarantees from the West. Washington failed to provide the guarantees.

  • United States
  • Nato
  • Russia
  • Italy
  • Germany
  • France
  • Ukraine
Russia & NATO

Russia & NATO

As the Draconian Western-led sanctions on Russia exacerbate the economic crisis worldwide, and as Russian troops gain more ground despite the influx of military aid into Ukraine, exposing US direct involvement in bio-labs spread across Eastern Europe and the insurgence of neo-Nazi groups… How will things unfold?

Trending Now

All
This undated photo provided Thursday Jan.5, 2023 by the French Army shows AMX-10 RC vehicles (Jeremy Bessat/Armee de Terre via AP)

Western armored vehicles to Ukraine: breakthrough or stepback?

Most Read

Buzzfeed CEO Jonah Peretti (Getty Images)

Buzzfeed to use AI to write its articles after firing 180 employees

  • US & Canada
  • 27 Jan
Twitter headquarters is shown in San Francisco on Nov. 4, 2022 (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

FBI created dashboard to mislabel Twitter users as Russian bots

  • US & Canada
  • 27 Jan
The Russian-manufactured Marker 2 tank-striker (Military Review)

Russia reveals Marker 2 combat robots

  • Europe
  • 26 Jan
Russian troops entering Donetsk in March 2022 (Anadolu Agency)

Russian troops enter Vuhledar, block Ukrainian arms supply path

  • Europe
  • 26 Jan

Read this

All
demonstrators march in Place de la Republique during a rally in Paris, as workers go on strike over the French President's plan to raise the legal retirement age from 62 to 64. (AFP)
Europe

France braces for new strikes against Macron's pension 'reform'

  • Today
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at a White House briefing (Bloomberg)
MENA

Iran calls out provocation by Blinken, will respond to 'aggressors'

  • Today
The funeral of Jana Zakarneh, a 16-year-old Palestinian girl who was shot by IOF in her family’s house. (Reuters)
Palestine

Report unmasks surge in Israeli barbarism against Palestinians

  • Today
Persons conscripted to the Ukrainian army seen here at one of the recruiting points in Kiev. (Sputnik)
Europe

Ukraine begins jailing draft dodgers: MP

  • Today
Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS