OMM Newsroom
The European Union is expected to approve a new package of sanctions against Russia on Monday. French Minister for European Affairs Benjamin Haddad said on Thursday that the measures would target an additional 150 entities and 50 banks.
Haddad said in an interview with French broadcaster LCI that France had proposed most of the entities to be included in the sanctions package, AnewZ reports. “On Monday, we will adopt new sanctions against Russia covering an additional 150 entities and 50 banks. France proposed a large share of the entities to be added,” the minister said.
October package included 1,646 names
The new measures follow an agreement by EU ambassadors in October to expand the list of sanctions against Russia by 1,646 names. The expansion was described as the largest single increase ever made to the bloc’s sanctions list.
The October package listed 743 individuals and 826 entities accused of supporting Moscow’s war in Ukraine, as well as 77 lawmakers who had taken part in elections in Ukrainian territories under Russian control. Those listed were subject to travel bans, asset freezes and restrictions on providing financial support.
France condemns Russian entry bans
Haddad also condemned Moscow’s decision on Wednesday to bar two French journalists and two lawmakers from entering Russia. The ban applies to Ariane Chemin, a correspondent for Le Monde; freelance journalist and former Moscow correspondent Paul Gogo; and French lawmakers Sacha Houlié and Arthur Delaporte.
“This is intimidation. France will not be intimidated. I think these lawmakers and journalists are doing their jobs; the lawmakers, in particular, are active in the fight against foreign interference,” Haddad said. In a social media post, he also told the Kremlin that it could not choose what members of the French parliament defended or what journalists wrote, and expressed support for those barred from entering Russia.
The dispute has further strained relations between Paris and Moscow. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot wrote on X that Russia’s justification of the entry bans as retaliation for France’s expulsion of Xenia Fedorova in July had “confirmed” her ties to the Russian authorities.
Fedorova, whom French authorities have accused of spreading Russian propaganda, previously headed the RT France television channel. She later became a familiar face on French news channel CNews and its affiliated outlets Europe 1 and JDNews. All three media outlets belong to media mogul Vincent Bolloré.
