In the context of a continued Russian military presence in eastern Ukraine and reports that Russia continues to mobilise its armed forces on the Ukrainian border, further have been introduced by the UK, EU and US.
UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss announced further sanctions against members of the Russian Duma and Federation Council who voted to recognise the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk "in flagrant violation of Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty".
The UK has also announced that it will extend the territorial sanctions imposed on Crimea to the non-Government controlled territories in Donetsk and Luhansk over the coming weeks. This means that no UK individual or entity will be able to deal with these territories whilst the sanctions remain in place.
The EU has also approved a package of sanctions in response to Russian aggression in Ukraine.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the EU will imposed sanctions on the 351 members of the Russia State Duma who voted in favour of the Russian resolution to recognise the so-called People's Republic of Donetsk and Luhansk. The UK and the EU are therefore aligned in this regard. She also announced that the EU had sanctioned a further 27 individuals and entities which the EU says are involved in undermining or threatening Ukrainian territorial integrity.
Separately, Germany has announced that it will not approve the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
Yesterday, the US announced that it had sanctioned two Russian state-owned financial institutions - Corporation Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Affairs Vnesheconombank and Promsvyazbank. The US has also imposed or maintained sanctions on Russian nationals believed to be close to President Putin - Denis Bortnikov, Aleksandr Bortnikov, Petr Fradkov, Sergei Kiriyenk, and Vladimir Kiriyenko. The US also announced that it had imposed additional restrictions on dealing in Russian sovereign debt.
These additional US measures build upon the previous day's announcements that the US had imposed significant restrictions on the ability of third parties to engage in economic activity with individuals and entities in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine.