EU 'Urgently' Considers Fresh Sanctions against Russia

On Monday, the European Union (EU) said that it is urgently discussing a new round of sanctions on Russia as it condemned "atrocities" reported in Ukrainian towns that have been occupied by Moscow's troops.

The EU "will advance, as a matter of urgency, work on further sanctions against Russia," foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement on behalf of the bloc.

Germany's defense minister said on Sunday that the European Union must discuss banning the import of Russian gas in light of the reported atrocities, while French President Emmanuel Macron supported sanctions on oil and coal.

Lithuania has already announced it will no longer import Russian gas to meet its domestic needs, becoming the first country in Europe to secure its independence from Russian supplies.

Italian Ecology Transition minister Roberto Cingolani said the country has sufficient reserves to forego the Russian gas supply over the next few months.

Italy and Germany are among the European Union members most dependent on Russian gas.

Russia has previously denied targeting civilians and has rejected allegations of war crimes. Moscow said the killings near Kyiv were "staged" to sully Russia's name.