EU to slap sanctions on Russia

BRUSSELS — European Union foreign ministers agreed Monday to impose sanctions on Russian officials and organizations blamed for the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny with a Soviet-era nerve agent.

At a meeting in Luxembourg, France and Germany urged their EU partners to freeze the assets of those suspected of involvement and ban them from traveling in Europe under sanctions to combat the use and spread of chemical weapons.

“It was a complete acceptance by all member states,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters after the talks. “Everybody was supporting this proposal.”

Borrell provided no details about who might face sanctions or when the measures might come into force, but said that technical work on preparing the action will now proceed.

Navalny, an anti- corruption investigator and major political opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin, fell ill on Aug. 20 during a domestic flight in Russia. He was flown to Germany for treatment two days later and is still recovering there.

Last week, tests conducted at labs designated by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons confirmed that Navalny was the victim of a Novichok nerve agent.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said given the OPCW’s findings, it is now “objectively clear that this is a breach of the Chemical Weapons Convention, one that cannot remain without consequences.”