The information was advanced to the European media by an official source from the Czech presidency of the EU Council, who indicated that the ambassadors [of the member states] have just reached a political agreement on new sanctions against Russia.

Vincing that this is "a strong response by the EU to Putin's illegal annexation of Ukrainian territories," the same source said that the text will now be finalized for the written procedure to be completed on Thursday morning, with publication in the Official Journal of the European Union expected that day.

"Then the sanctions will come into effect," he concluded.

Last Wednesday, the European Commission proposed an eighth package of sanctions on Russia, in light of the Kremlin's "further escalation" of its aggression in Ukraine, with the holding of "fraudulent referenda," partial mobilization, and the threat of using nuclear weapons.

The new European Union sanctions package includes a cap on the price of Russian oil, new trade restrictions to deprive Russia of some seven billion euros in revenue, an export ban on more products to deprive the Kremlin of key technologies for the Russian war machine, and an update of the list of individuals and entities targeted for restrictive measures.

Specifically, the EU has added pro-Russian officials in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporijia to the list of individual sanctions.

Brussels has also proposed banning the provision of European services to Russia and prohibiting EU citizens from sitting on the governing bodies of Russian state-owned companies, arguing that "Russia should not benefit from the knowledge and expertise" of Europeans.

It should be noted that this is the eighth package of sanctions approved by the EU since Russia invaded Ukraine, roughly seven months ago. (Lusa)