EU freezes Vladimir Putin's assets in response to Ukraine invasion

The European Union has frozen the assets of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in response to the invasion of Ukraine, adding the two names to the EU sanctions list.

Putin and Lavrov, however, will not be subject to a travel ban, a regular sanction that often accompanies the freezing of assets, in order to keep the diplomatic channels open.

The final set of sanctions was unveiled on Friday evening after a meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers.

Coveney said excluding Putin and Lavrov would “undermine the credibility” of the sanctions but added travel bans should not be slapped for the time being.