EU includes Putin, Lavrov in sanctions list

EU foreign ministers have added Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to the list of sanctioned individuals.

EU High Representative Josep Borrell said this at a briefing in Brussels following a meeting of EU foreign ministers, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"We have added President Putin and Lavrov to the list," Borrel said. He mentioned that members of the Russian State Duma and Security Council who supported this aggression have already been included in the list.

Borrell noted that until now, the only leaders in the world that are sanctioned by the European Union are Bashar Assad from Syria and Alexander Lukashenko from Belarus.

Regarding the approved sanctions, Borrell noted that restrictions in the financial sector, in particular, will affect the most important capital markets and 70% of key state-owned companies. This will increase public debt and eventually lead to "erosion" of Russia's industrial base, the politician said.

The decision to exclude Russia from the SWIFT system was not made or discussed. However, the European diplomat did not rule out that this issue could be on the table in the near future.