The European Union imposes new sanctions on Moscow and Minsk

The 27 countries of the European Union decided, on Wednesday, to impose new sanctions on Moscow and Minsk after the Russian war on Ukraine, including the dismissal of three Belarusian banks from the "SWIFT" system for remittances, as announced by the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

During their meeting in Brussels, representatives of member states also approved new sanctions targeting the maritime sector and cryptocurrencies and added Russian leaders and oligarchs to their blacklist, the presidency wrote on Twitter, in measures aimed at completing the three packages of sanctions adopted by the European Union in the past two weeks.

The New Zealand parliament also unanimously approved a bill to impose economic sanctions on Russia.

Unlike many countries that had already imposed sanctions, New Zealand's laws previously did not allow the government to implement meaningful measures unless they were part of a broader UN effort.

Russia's holding of a veto in the United Nations Security Council held New Zealand back.

The new law, which was hastily passed within a day, targets individuals associated with military operations in Russia, including Russian oligarchs.

It would allow New Zealand to freeze assets and deny access to luxury yachts or aircraft.

Lawmakers said it would prevent New Zealand from becoming a safe haven for Russian oligarchs looking to evade sanctions elsewhere.

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