BRUSSELS -- European Union foreign ministers agreed Monday to impose sanctions on Russian officials and organizations blamed for the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny with a Soviet-era nerve agent.
At a meeting in Luxembourg, France and Germany urged their EU partners to freeze the assets of those suspected of involvement and ban them from traveling in Europe under sanctions to combat the use and spread of chemical weapons.
"It was a complete acceptance by all member states," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters after the talks. "Everybody was supporting this proposal."
Borrell provided no details about who might face sanctions or when the measures might take effect, but said technical work on preparing the action will now proceed.
Navalny, a corruption investigator and major political opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin, fell ill Aug. 20 during a domestic flight in Russia. He was flown to Germany for treatment two days later and is still recovering there.
Last week, tests conducted at labs designated by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons confirmed that Navalny was the victim of a Novichok nerve agent.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that given the organization's findings, it is now "objectively clear that this is a breach of the Chemical Weapons Convention, one that cannot remain without consequences."
In a statement Friday, France and Germany said that despite repeated calls, Russia has provided "no credible explanation" for what happened and that "there is no other plausible explanation for Mr Navalny's poisoning than a Russian involvement and responsibility."
They said they would push for EU sanctions to "target individuals deemed responsible for this crime and breach of international norms, based on their official function, as well as an entity involved in the Novichok program."
Information for this article was contributed by Geir Moulson of The Associated Press.
![Federal minister for foreign affairs of Germany Heiko Mass speaks with the media as he arrives for a meeting of European Union foreign ministers at the European Council building in Luxembourg, Monday, Oct. 12, 2020. European Union foreign ministers were weighing Monday whether to impose sanctions on Russian officials and organizations blamed for the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny with a Soviet-era nerve agent. (Jean-Christophe Verhaegen, Pool via AP)]()
Federal minister for foreign affairs of Germany Heiko Mass speaks with the media as he arrives for a meeting of European Union foreign ministers at the European Council building in Luxembourg, Monday, Oct. 12, 2020. European Union foreign ministers were weighing Monday whether to impose sanctions on Russian officials and organizations blamed for the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny with a Soviet-era nerve agent. (Jean-Christophe Verhaegen, Pool via AP)
![Cypriot Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides, left, speaks with European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, second right, during a meeting of European Union foreign ministers at the European Council building in Luxembourg, Monday, Oct. 12, 2020. European Union foreign ministers were weighing Monday whether to impose sanctions on Russian officials and organizations blamed for the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny with a Soviet-era nerve agent. (Jean-Christophe Verhaegen, Pool via AP)]()
Cypriot Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides, left, speaks with European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, second right, during a meeting of European Union foreign ministers at the European Council building in Luxembourg, Monday, Oct. 12, 2020. European Union foreign ministers were weighing Monday whether to impose sanctions on Russian officials and organizations blamed for the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny with a Soviet-era nerve agent. (Jean-Christophe Verhaegen, Pool via AP)
![French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, left, and Poland's Foreign Minister Zbiegniew Rau, center, attend a meeting of European Union foreign ministers at the European Council building in Luxembourg, Monday, Oct. 12, 2020. European Union foreign ministers were weighing Monday whether to impose sanctions on Russian officials and organizations blamed for the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny with a Soviet-era nerve agent. (Jean-Christophe Verhaegen, Pool via AP)]()
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, left, and Poland's Foreign Minister Zbiegniew Rau, center, attend a meeting of European Union foreign ministers at the European Council building in Luxembourg, Monday, Oct. 12, 2020. European Union foreign ministers were weighing Monday whether to impose sanctions on Russian officials and organizations blamed for the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny with a Soviet-era nerve agent. (Jean-Christophe Verhaegen, Pool via AP)
![Cypriot Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides, center, speaks with European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, right, during a meeting of European Union foreign ministers at the European Council building in Luxembourg, Monday, Oct. 12, 2020. European Union foreign ministers were weighing Monday whether to impose sanctions on Russian officials and organizations blamed for the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny with a Soviet-era nerve agent. (Jean-Christophe Verhaegen, Pool via AP)]()
Cypriot Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides, center, speaks with European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, right, during a meeting of European Union foreign ministers at the European Council building in Luxembourg, Monday, Oct. 12, 2020. European Union foreign ministers were weighing Monday whether to impose sanctions on Russian officials and organizations blamed for the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny with a Soviet-era nerve agent. (Jean-Christophe Verhaegen, Pool via AP)
![European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, center, speaks with Belgian Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmes, right, during a meeting of European Union foreign ministers at the European Council building in Luxembourg, Monday, Oct. 12, 2020. European Union foreign ministers were weighing Monday whether to impose sanctions on Russian officials and organizations blamed for the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny with a Soviet-era nerve agent. (Jean-Christophe Verhaegen, Pool via AP)]()
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, center, speaks with Belgian Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmes, right, during a meeting of European Union foreign ministers at the European Council building in Luxembourg, Monday, Oct. 12, 2020. European Union foreign ministers were weighing Monday whether to impose sanctions on Russian officials and organizations blamed for the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny with a Soviet-era nerve agent. (Jean-Christophe Verhaegen, Pool via AP)
