EU expands ‘black list’ of Russians and cancels EU-Russia summit in June

The European Union has expanded the list of Russians banned from entering the EU countries from 21 to 33. The financial assets of the people from the ‘black list’ will be frozen if found in European banks. The decision about imposing economic sanctions has not been made.
European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said the names of the ‘blacklisted’ Russians will be made public after its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. “We are imposing sanctions on more senior officials of the Russian government,” he noted.
The EU countries have also agreed to halt preparations for bilateral summits with Russia and cancelled the EU-Russia summit scheduled for June. Van Rompuy stressed that the EU insists on the de-escalation of the crisis in Ukraine and restoration of the country’s territorial integrity. He added that in case of further Russian actions in Ukraine and lack of de-escalation efforts the EU will take other measures, including economic.