EU foreign ministers agreed on Monday to impose sanctions on four top Russian officials, following the crackdown against Alexei Navalny supporters of the Kremlin critic, diplomatic sources said cited by news agencies. The symbolic response came after France, Germany, Poland and the Baltics urged the Union to sanction the Kremlin.

The EU is stepping efforts to impose further sanctions on Russia with travel bans and asset freezes on allies of President Vladimir Putin possible in March, news wires reported citing diplomats close to the matter. The EU ambassadors on Wednesday gave punitive measures go ahead for further refining.

Moscow is ready to cut ties with the EU if the Union hits it with painful economic sanctions, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. He said this in an interview with a pro-Kremlin media posted on the ministry’s website on Friday.

The EU is already working on a proposal to sanction Russia over the imprisonment of opposition leader Alexey Navalny, news wires reported. EU ambassadors discussed the punitive measures at a meeting on Wednesday, according to two diplomats familiar with the discussion.

The EU foreign ministers were expected on Monday to discuss and impose new sanctions on Russian individuals after more than 3,000 people were arrested across Russia on Saturday during peaceful demonstrations  demanding the release of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, news wires reported.

The United States has imposed more sanctions on companies in Iran, China and the United Arab Emirates for doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines and on three Iranian entities for conventional arms proliferation.

Switzerland has frozen the financial assets of the president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, following the violent aftermath of the elections in the east European country.

The United States imposed financial sanctions and a travel ban on 14 Chinese officials over their alleged role in Beijing’s disqualification last month of elected opposition legislators in Hong Kong, prompting China to say it will retaliate.

EU foreign ministers discussed on Monday whether to propose sanctions to be imposed on Turkey over a Mediterranean gas dispute, news wires reported. The Union leaders are to diced on the issue at a summit on 10-11 December. Tensions flared in August when Turkey sent a survey vessel to map out energy drilling prospects in disputed waters with Greece.

The European Union imposed sanctions on seven ministers recently appointed to the Syrian government, blaming them for playing a role in the continued crackdown on civilians in the war-ravaged country.