European Union countries agreed on Thursday on a Russian coal embargo as part of a fifth round of sanctions against Russia over the situation in Ukraine.
The package of sanctions was approved by the EU's Committee of Permanent Representatives, the French EU Council presidency said in a tweet, with the Council set to be published tomorrow.
It includes the freezing of assets of several Russian banks as well as a ban on exports to Russia including high-tech goods of up to €10 billion and the closure of EU ports to Russian-flagged ships.
The measures include the first EU sanctions against Russian energy with a coal embargo estimated to be worth €4 billion per year.
