The European Union agreed on new sanctions against Moscow

The European Union agreed on new sanctions against Russia, but postponed their adoption until Monday, reports Reuters. According to Interfax, the sanctions will affect financial markets, defense industry, dual -use goods and a number of technologies. An agreement was also reached on the expansion of the sanctions list of persons who maintained relations with the militia.

Russian officials, oligarchs, as well as representatives of the leadership of Crimea and self -proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics will fall into the expanded list of the European Union. This is stated in a letter to the chairmen of the European Commission and the European Council Jose Manuel Barrozo and Herman Van Rompey to members of the European Union, published on the EU official website.

The decision on sanctions will be made taking into account the compliance with the Arrival Agreement in the Donbass, concluded in Minsk, as well as from Russia's policy in relation to Ukraine. In case of approval, new sanctions can be published in the official journal of the European Union on Tuesday.

On Friday in Minsk, during negotiations of the contact group in Ukraine, an agreement was reached on the ceasefire. In addition, Kyiv is preparing to exchange prisoners with the DPR and LPR.

The European Union, in an official statement, welcomed the ceasefire agreement, urging both parties to follow it fully. "We hope that this will be the first step towards a sustainable political decision, on the basis of respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine," the communique says.

In Brussels, they called for monitoring of the Russian-Ukrainian border and put an end to the actions of illegal armed groups, and also promised to support any efforts related to the implementation of the agreement.