The European Union (EU) has approved additional sanctions against Russia after EU member states adopted a series of measures, including a ban on Russian gold imports and tightening of export controls on certain high-tech products.

The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, stated that the EU's strengthened and extended sanctions against the Kremlin are a powerful signal to Moscow, and that the EU will keep this strong pressure as long as necessary.

The details of the new sanctions are not yet clear, as they have yet to be publicized in the official journal of the EU.

Josep Borrell, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the EU Commission, had announced on Monday that the most important thing at the moment is the ban on Russian gold, which is Russia's second largest export branch after energy.