EU countries agree to new Russian sanctions package

EU member states have agreed to a new package of sanctions on Russia, the Belgian EU presidency announced on Thursday.
The latest round of punitive measures provide "new targeted measures and maximises the impact of existing sanctions by closing loopholes" a statement on social media to announce the deal said.
Belgium chaired the talks on the new round of sanctions as current holder of the rotating EU presidency.
Diplomats in Brussels have cited German concerns over business regulation and requests for changes as the main reason why negotiations on the new EU sanctions on Russia took so long to finalize.