Following the invasion on Ukraine, the EU puts sanctions on Putin

BRUSSELS – Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the European Union (EU) has put President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to its sanctions list.

Two EU officials said on condition of anonymity that Germany and Italy have added Putin and Sergei Lavrov to the EU sanctions list during a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

The Russian president also told the Belarusian leadership about the meetings in Minsk, Belarus’ capital, according to foreign media, but the Ukrainian leadership disagreed about the venue.

The Ukrainian leadership proposed that Russia hold discussions to end the Ukraine conflict in Warsaw, Poland, but the two countries lost touch after that.

Russia is one of the world’s largest energy producers, and it, along with Ukraine, is a major grain exporter. The price of oil and grains has skyrocketed. The news of the commencement of war sent stock markets all around the world plunging, only to recover on Friday.