According to four people familiar with the matter, the EU is preparing to freeze the assets of Putin and his foreign minister.
The sanctions package is expected to be approved by foreign ministers this afternoon, according to the people.
The EU's willingness to keep symbolic diplomatic possibilities open is reflected in the fact that Putin and Lavrov will not be subject to a ban on travelling under the measures.
As the EU prepares to sign off on its second package of restrictions on Russia, it has moved. Some transactions with a wide range of Russian banks would be frozen, as well as new listings on stock exchanges in the bloc, and Russian nationals would not be allowed to make big deposits in EU banks.
The EU is under pressure to increase its pressure on Putin. Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, called on Putin to negotiate in order to stop the death.
Zelensky said that Europe had not seen something like this in 75 years. This isn't the whole truth. Russia's invasion of Ukraine is not the only invasion. This is the beginning of a war. Against European solidarity. Against the rights of European people.
EU leaders gave the go-ahead for the second sanctions package in a late-night extraordinary summit session.
The president of the commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said she expected the measures to have a maximum impact on the Russian economy and the political elite.
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