EU to blacklist several Russian officials over elections in Crimea – TASS news agency
European Union countries have agreed to blacklist several Russian officials for conducting elections in Crimea in September 2019, a diplomatic source in Brussels told TASS on Tuesday.
"A consensus has been reached to introduce restrictions on several Russian officials over the 2019 elections in Crimea and Sevastopol," he said. According to the source, the final decision on the matter is expected to be made at an EU General Affairs Council meeting later in the day
According to information available to TASS, a consensus was reached after Cyprus had withdrawn its veto. The country earlier sought to block the new sanctions in a bid to secure EU backing for tougher action against Ankara in a row over hydrocarbon drilling.
The European Union will now try to make sure that additional sanctions against Russia are approved ahead of a meeting of the EU-Ukraine Association Council, scheduled for January 28, which will involve Ukrainian Prime Minister Alexei Goncharuk.