UPDATE2: Report: EU mulls new sanctions on Russian banks, tycoons

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MOSCOW, Mar 30 (PRIME) -- The E.U. may slap new sanctions on Russian banks and families of tycoons, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday quoting sources.

The European countries plan to impose sanctions on sanctions on four banks that were not sanctioned previously but were cut off from the SWIFT interbank payment system, including VTB Bank. But there are no plans to impose sanctions on Gazprombank or Sberbank, which carry out banking operations for the European companies to pay for Russian energy.  

Europe also plans to add new members of oligarchs’ families to the blacklists, and strengthen restrictions on the use of cryptocurrencies as a way to bypass the sanctions, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The new sanctions should be suggested next week.

The U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said in a statement that U.K. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss planned to announce new sanctions against Russian businessmen on Wednesday.

The additional sanctions will prohibit companies from providing technical support to aircraft or maritime vessels of the sanctioned people and companies.

The Crimean sanctions will be expanded to all Ukrainian regions that the government does not control.

Reuters reported that a representative of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the U.K. might widen restrictions on access to the SWIFT.

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