WSJ learned about the EU idea to limit freight traffic from Russia

The European Commission intends to propose new sanctions against Russia, which include closing borders for Russian cargo carriers, a ban on coal imports and measures against "oligarchs" and their families, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources.

A REUTERS source familiar with the situation said that the restriction on imports would affect coal, as well as rubber and a number of other goods worth €9 billion a year. The agency also reports a ban on Russian trucks from entering the EU, but it will not affect the transport of energy, food and medicine.

The EU will ban the export of semiconductors and high-tech equipment, technologies for the production of LNG to Russia for €10 billion a year, an agency source said. Operations with VTB and three other Russian banks that were previously disconnected from SWIFT will also be banned (in March, Rossiya, Otkritie, Novikombank, Promsvyazbank, Sovcombank and VEB.RF were also disconnected from the system). Dozens of Russians, including politicians and "oligarchs", will be added to the blacklist, Reuters reported.

French Secretary of State for European Affairs Clement Bon said that the inclusion of Russian coal and oil in the sanctions package is being discussed, Politico reports. “I can’t judge prematurely because [all] 27 [countries] are needed to have an impact, but I think we can quickly impose sanctions on these two sectors,” he said. According to him, decisions will be made in the coming days.