EU imposes sanctions on six Russians over Navalny poisoning

BRUSSELS — The European Union and Britain imposed sanctions Thursday on six Russians, some among the highest-ranked officials in the nation, and a state research institute over the nerve agent poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

The move comes a day after Russia’s foreign minister threatened the 27-nation EU with retaliatory action. The sanctions had been agreed on by EU foreign ministers on Monday, without names given.

“Russia is our neighbor and shares this continent with us, but we will not give up our principles and convictions when it comes to chemical weapons,” French President Emmanuel Marcon told reporters at a summit of EU leaders in Brussels. He said the bloc must continue “a transparent but demanding dialogue” with Moscow.

Foreign Minister Heiko Maas of Germany, which holds the EU’s rotating presidency, said that “only with a clear position and by sticking to principles can we as the European Union make progress with respect to Russia.”