The European Union is set to impose travel bans and asset freezes on allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin in March, possibly in the run-up to an EU summit, after a meeting of envoys gave approval for punitive measures, diplomats said.
Reuters reported on Feb. 11 that the sanctions, in response to the jailing of Putin's main domestic critic Alexei Navalny, could be the first to be imposed under a new EU framework that was enacted in December and allows the bloc to take measures against human rights violators worldwide.
"I expect additional sanctions to be in place before the EU summit in March," said a senior EU diplomat, referring to the March 25-26 gathering of the bloc's 27 leaders in Brussels. EU foreign ministers meet on March 22.