Report: UK, G7 mull sanctions on Russian energy, more banks

MOSCOW/TOKYO, Apr 7 (PRIME) -- The U.K. is working with the G7 partners to impose sanctions on more Russian banks and the terms of oil, gas and coal embargo, Foreign Minister Liz Truss told newspaper Telegraph on Thursday.

Truss urged the partners to close the ports for Russian ships and to make Russian gold 'unavailable to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin.'

On Wednesday, the U.K. froze assets of Russian top bank Sberbank and Credit Bank of Moscow. The U.S. slapped full blocking sanctions on Sberbank and Alfa-Bank.

Ambassador to the U.S. Anatoly Antonov said that Wednesday’s U.S. sanctions on Sberbank and Alfa-Bank hurt Russia's common people.

"This is a direct blow to the population of Russia, ordinary people," he said on the Telegram  channel of the embassy.

G7 member Japan, which imports about 15% of its coal from Russia, refused to embargo the imports to avoid a price rise, newspaper the Mainichi reported.

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