EU agrees on new sanctions package against Russian oligarchs

The European Union has agreed a new round of sanctions targetting senior Russian officials and oligarchs in retaliation for Moscow's special operation in Ukraine, France said on Wednesday.

The new sanctions will also include restrictions on the maritime sector and exclude three Belarussian banks from the SWIFT banking system, France, which holds the rotating presidency of the European Council, said in a series of tweets.

The additional sanctions will be formally approved by leaders of the bloc's 27 member states at a summit in Versailles, France, on Thursday and Friday.

The new sanctions were agreed upon at a so-called COREPER II meeting, which convenes each member state's permanent representatives to the bloc, ahead of the summit.