EU plans to impose sanctions against 350 Russians, including lawmakers

Baghdad-INA 
The European Union is discussing the possibility of imposing restrictive measures against about 350 Russians, in response to Russia's recognition of the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk republics, Bloomberg Agency quoted European Union officials as saying.
 
European officials told the agency that "deputies in the State Duma (Russian parliament) are among the people most likely to be sanctioned by the European Union."
European officials also indicated the need for all EU countries to agree to the prepared package of sanctions, as it is expected that the EU foreign ministers will decide today, Tuesday, during an urgent meeting of the Council, the "European response" to Russia in the issue of recognizing the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk republics, and the talk is about emergency measures.
"It is clear that this response will take the form of sanctions, which ministers will discuss on the basis on proposal," said Josep Borrell, the head of EU diplomacy, noting that the adoption of sanctions in the European Union will be within the competence of the Council of the European Union.
Borrell expressed his confidence that the sanctions will be adopted unanimously, noting that the relevant text was prepared on Tuesday morning, and in the afternoon the Council of the European Union will decide on the sanctions.
At the same time, he clarified that this does not mean that all decisions will be taken on Tuesday, noting that the talk now is only about urgent measures.