BRUSSELS — European Union governments have agreed on a list of new entities and Russian and pro-Moscow Ukrainian individuals who will suffer sanctions in the bloc, diplomats said Thursday.
Of the 19 individuals, including five Russians, and nine entities, of which one is Russian, none were very senior or prominent, EU diplomats said. The names were not immediately available. Foreign ministers will meet on Monday in Brussels to endorse the list, which adds to measures taken last year.
Reservations on the part of the new Greek government had been lifted during negotiations among envoys of the 28 member states, diplomats said. Greek officials declined to comment.
EU leaders have been struggling to maintain a common front against Moscow after imposing rounds of sanctions last year that have hurt limping EU economies and worried those EU governments which would prefer a more conciliatory approach to Russia.
Some hawkish states, notably in the former Soviet bloc, had pushed for the likes of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to be on the new list, which follows a round of travel bans and asset freezes on individuals following the annexation of Crimea in March and the downing of a Malaysian airliner in July.
But diplomats said the sanctions to be approved on Monday would not hit Shoigu or other high-profile figures.
"These are all second- and third-rank names," one said.
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