EU agrees to freeze Roman Abramovich’s assets – diplomats

Soccer Football – Chelsea v Crystal Palace – Barclays Premier League – Stamford Bridge – 3/5/15 Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich in the stands. Action images via Reuters/John Sibley

BRUSSELS, March 14 (Reuters) – Top European Union diplomats have agreed to add Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich to Europe’s list of Russian billionaires sanctioned after Moscow invaded Ukraine , two diplomatic sources said on Monday.

The informal green light for Abramovich’s listing came at a meeting on Sunday, a source said, and EU envoys will meet again at 11:00 GMT on Monday to adopt the measure and a new round of sanctions. economic against Russia.

Sanctions will only come into effect after publication in the EU’s official journal, which usually happens within hours or a day of formal approval.

The West has sanctioned Russian billionaires, frozen state assets and cut off much of Russia’s corporate sector from the global economy in an effort to force Russian President Vladimir Putin to change course on Ukraine.

In what would be the EU’s fourth sanctions package against Russia since its February 24 invasion of Ukraine, the 27-nation bloc will ban the export of luxury goods to Russia, including expensive cars.

It will also ban the import of Russian steel and iron products, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday. Read more

At Sunday’s meeting, diplomats asked the Commission, which drafted the economic sanctions, to explain certain aspects of the new economic measures to ensure that they cannot be successfully challenged in the courts of the EU, according to two EU sources.

No concerns have been raised about the new lists of oligarchs and businessmen, which are in a separate legal document drawn up by the EU’s external action service, a diplomat said, noting that the Abramovich’s list “will be accepted”.

Other Russian oligarchs will be added to the EU list. Dozens have already been sanctioned.

The new sanctions will hit those active in Russia’s steel industry and others who supply financial services, military products and technology to the Russian state, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrel.

Abramovich has previously been blacklisted by Britain. Read more

He holds a Portuguese passport, which means that Portugal could in principle refrain from imposing an asset freeze and travel ban on him decided at EU level, a second official told Reuters. the EU.

Reporting by Francesco Guarascio with additional reporting by Gabriela Baczynska, editing by Mark Heinrich

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