In a resolution adopted on Thursday at the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, the European parliamentarians demanded additional sanctions against Russia in response to the actions of the Russian military in Ukraine, in particular, including a complete embargo on gas imported from Russia.

The resolution, adopted by 513 votes in favor, 22 against, with 19 abstentions, contains a demand "to introduce total embargo on Russian imports of oil, coal, nuclear fuel and gas."

The document notes that such a decision should be accompanied by an action plan aimed at guaranteeing the security of the EU energy supply, as well as a strategy to lift sanctions if Russia takes steps "to restore the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders and completely withdraws its troops from the territory of Ukraine."

The resolution also calls for Russia to be excluded from the G20, the WTO, UNESCO and a number of other international organizations.

The European Parliament proposed to add to the sanctions the disconnection of all Russian banks from the SWIFT system; a ban on entry into the territorial waters and ports of the EU countries of all ships related to Russia; prohibition of road transport with Russia and Belarus.

The MEPs propose to arrest "all assets belonging to Russian officials or oligarchs associated with the Putin regime, their proxies and straw people, as well as assets in Belarus associated with the Lukashenka regime."

The resolution requires that the sanctions against Belarus be consistent with those imposed against Russia in order to eliminate loopholes that allow the Russian side to use Minsk's help to circumvent the sanctions.