By Agnes Szucs
BRUSSELS (AA) - EU foreign ministers agreed on Monday to impose sanctions on Russian officials over the sentencing of opposition figure Alexey Navalny.
“We reached a political agreement to impose restrictive measures against those responsible for his [Navalny’s] arrest, sentencing and persecution,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told a press conference following the top diplomats’ meeting.
The foreign ministers’ consensus only gives the green light for EU diplomats to work out the exact details and targets of the restrictive measures. The final decision on sanctions will be taken later by written procedure.
Borrell said he expects the sanctions to be adopted within a week.
On Saturday a Moscow court ruling resulted in a prison sentence for Navalny of two years and eight months for violating parole.
He was arrested in the Russian capital upon his return in January from Germany, where he had received treatment after alleged poisoning by Russian agents last year.