EU to sanction 6 in Russia over Navalny poisoning
The European Union on Wednesday agreed to level
sanctions against six Russians and one organization over the poisoning of
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
EU ambassadors reportedly agreed to level asset
freezes and travel bans during a meeting in Brussels, with exact details to be
decided in the coming days, according to leaks to DPA and AFP news agencies.
Navalny was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent in
Siberia in August. He was evacuated to Berlin where he is now recovering.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's administration
has denied being behind the attack.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier
threatened to halt diplomatic contacts with Western countries if they imposed
sanctions.
"We probably simply have to temporarily stop talking
to those people in the West who are responsible for foreign policy and don't
understand the need for mutually respectful dialogue," Lavrov said at a
foreign policy conference on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, he threatened to respond in kind to
any sanctions.