INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The EU on Wednesday agreed to ban exports to three Chinese firms and blacklist North Korea's Defense Minister in new sanctions set to
conflict.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the agreement by the EU's 27 member countries and said it would further
diplomats said the new sanctions included adding three mainland Chinese firms to a list of companies with which EU businesses were banned
technology to Russia.Firms in Turkey and India were also included, as the EU increasingly targets third countries for helping Moscow
circumvent sanctions.As part of the new package, diplomats said the EU also imposed an asset freeze and visa ban on North Korea's Defense
Minister Kang Sun-Nam over the isolated country's supply of ballistic missiles to Moscow.The EU has sanctioned some 2,000 officials and
entities in the two years since Moscow invaded Ukraine.However, Russia's economy has largely managed to weather the economic storm and the
Kremlin has ramped up its military production.The second anniversary of the invasion on Saturday comes as Ukrainian forces are losing ground
