OREANDA-NEWS. Permanent representatives of the countries of the European Union have agreed on new sanctions against Russia because of its special military operation in Ukraine. This is reported by TASS with reference to the statement of the French presidency of the EU Council.

The new restrictions will affect Russian leaders and businessmen, their families involved in the "Russian invasion of Ukraine."

In addition, the measures already taken against the Russian Federation will be supplemented.

“In particular, the measures taken are aimed at disconnecting three Belarusian banks from the SWIFT system,” the French presidency said in a statement.

Earlier it was informed that the European Commission has adopted a new package of sanctions against Russia and Belarus because of the situation around Ukraine. The new sanctions refer to three Belarusian banks, that  will be disconnected from the SWIFT system. A ban will also be imposed on the export of marine technology from Russia to Europe. The EU also plans to expand sanctions against "Russian oligarchs" and members of parliament.

Director of the Department of Economic Cooperation of the Russian Foreign Ministry Dmitry Birichevsky said that the anti-Russian sanctions of the EU are difficult to justify logically, since they cause serious damage to the citizens of the bloc itself.

“Such a policy of the West is based on logic that is completely divorced from reality <...> They lead to a break in the existing trade and production chains and cause enormous damage to citizens of the EU member states,” the diplomat said.

According to him, the restrictions imposed are especially counterproductive in the face of instability in the global economy due to the coronavirus pandemic.