The European Union has announced extensive new sanctions on Russia, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaking of a watershed moment for Europe.
The sanctions will target areas including the financial sector, energy, transport, and visas for the Russian elite, she said after a meeting that ended in the early hours on Friday in Brussels.
Von der Leyen said the adopted measures would make it impossible for Russia to buy technology to upgrade its oil refineries, or spare parts for aircraft.
“The package of massive and targeted sanctions approved tonight shows how united the EU is,” she tweeted.
French President Emmanuel Macron, said €300m ($336m; £251m) of aid would be offered to Ukraine, as well as military equipment.
The sanctions do not cover the import of Russian gas into the EU. Questioned on this, Von der Leyen said they were urgently looking at how to wean Europe off its dependence on Russian energy.
The package of massive and targeted sanctions approved tonight shows how united the EU is.
First, this package includes financial sanctions, targeting 70% of the Russian banking market and key state owned companies, including in defence. https://t.co/iKVGfnafKp
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) February 25, 2022
