EU summit in BrusselsMOSCOW, Feb. 25 The EU plans to freeze the «assets» of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the Financial Times newspaper writes, citing informed sources. Earlier, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov, commenting on calls in Washington to freeze «Putin's assets», saying that the head of state keeps money in Rossiya bank , which is already under sanctions. He also noted that the sanctions are not painful for any representative of the top leadership of the Russian Federation.Kadyrov called the sanctions «Biden fables» «The EU plans to freeze the assets of Vladimir Putin and his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as part of a package of sanctions that is being promoted on Friday,» the newspaper said. trips, which often involve personal sanctions, are not planned. «The issue was discussed by the leaders late Thursday evening, and many of them supported this idea,» the publication writes.
German Finance Minister called for sanctions against Putin and LavrovOn February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed decrees recognizing the sovereignty of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, and on February 24, Russia launched a special military operation to demilitarize Ukraine. In response, Western countries began a new round of the sanctions spiral, which has been unwinding since 2014. Several of the largest banks in the Russian Federation, including Sberbank and VTB, fell under the new restrictions. A number of state-owned companies found it difficult to attract foreign capital. Sanctions have been imposed on the supply of high-tech products to Russia. Germany has stopped certification of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. Great Britain has closed flights for Aeroflot. Also in the US and the EU, statements are periodically heard that one of the options for sanctions could be to disconnect Russia from the SWIFT international system of interbank transfers, but there is no unity on this issue in the West. There were no restrictions on Russian energy exports either. The Russian authorities said they had prepared a plan of action in advance in case of a new wave of sanctions and would provide any necessary support to businesses that fell under the restrictions, ensuring the smooth operation of the economy. The Russian authorities are also working on retaliatory measures, but the details are not yet known. Response measures taken to date include a ban on overflights by British airlines over Russia. Vladimir Lavrentiev
