The European Union has put forward a 21st round of sanctions on Russia linked to the war in Ukraine, with measures including banks and crypto channels, according to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
The proposed measures would cover 170 people and organisations
Among them are nearly 90 banks, the largest batch included at one time, which would bring the number of listed banks to above 100, meaning more than half of Russia’s 213 internationally connected lenders. Under the plan, the European Commission wants to place asset freezes on almost 90 banks and impose extra transaction restrictions on more than 30 banks in Russia and in other third countries. It also intends to tighten restrictions on crypto-asset services involving certain third countries, introduce further listings, and prohibit transactions involving 11 crypto platforms.
If adopted, the banks would face the full set of EU sanctions, including asset freezes, travel bans and transaction restrictions. The package is due to go before EU ambassadors today (10 June) for talks. Sanctions need unanimous backing from member states to take effect.