EU eyes Russian officials, banks, industry for sanctions

By LORNE COOK
Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union has proposed travel bans and asset freezes on almost 200 more Russian officials and military officers as part of a new round of sanctions aimed at ramping up pressure on Moscow over its war in Ukraine. The proposals were made Wednesday by the EU’s executive branch. They must still be debated and endorsed by the 27 member countries. The targets of the sanctions include government ministers, lawmakers, regional governors and political parties. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the list “covers key figures in Russia’s brutal and deliberate missile strikes against civilians, in the kidnapping of Ukrainian children to Russia, and in the theft of Ukrainian agricultural products.”