EU proposes sanctioning Putin's daughters to pressurise Moscow to halt Ukraine invasion

In retaliation for the relentless Russian offensive, which has resulted in a horrifying massacre of civilians in the Bucha region of Ukraine, the European Union (EU) on Tuesday proposed sanctioning the two daughters of Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to a report by Fox Business, diplomats familiar with the plan stated that this move has been adopted to add the Russian leader's closest family members to the growing list of people sanctioned to pressurise Moscow to halt its continuing military aggression. This measure, which is among the scores of freshly imposed sanctions, which includes targeted travel bans as well as asset freezing against Russian oligarchs, lawmakers, bureaucrats, and their families, must still be approved by EU member states, Fox Business reported.  

According to The Wall Street Journal report, Russian President Vladimir Putin rarely discusses or mentions his family in public. According to Kremlin, the leader has two daughters with his previous wife, Lyudmila Putina.  

“It is not known if Putin has other children, and it could not be learned if the daughters being targeted in the EU sanctions were those he has publicly acknowledged," The Wall Street Journal reported.  

EU is currently working on a new set of sanctions against Russia

In addition to this, the European Union, which has previously slapped harsh sanctions on Russia, is currently working on a new series of measures to mitigate the crisis. Two EU officials told CNBC that a recommendation has been done for the next package of penalties including plane leasing, steel goods, luxury items, as well as jet fuel. Officials stressed that the plan is still in progress and that it may alter as Russia and Ukraine continue to negotiate in the coming days. 

Meanwhile, on Sunday, Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, said in a Twitter post referring to the recent horrible occurrence in the Ukrainian village of Bucha, “Further EU sanctions and support are on their way".   

According to The Financial Times, individuals may be targeted by the new sanctions, which may possibly include a ban on Russian ships entering EU ports. Export and energy supply constraints are also a possibility. 

Furthermore, the recent sanctions came in the wake of Ukrainian officials and eyewitnesses' claim who said that Russian forces leaving Bucha have murdered around 300 locals. Governments and human rights activists throughout the world were outraged by images of deformed dead thrown into mass graves, streets, and fields. Following Ukraine's accusation that Russian soldiers murdered civilians, the Russian Defense Ministry said that images and recordings purporting to reveal Russian forces' atrocities in Bucha are yet another provocation, despite the fact that Russian forces had completely left the town on March 30. 

(Image: AP)