The EU ambassadors on Thursday approved the sixth round of sanctions against Russia which includes a partial ban on Russian oil imports and removal of the head of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill from the list of sanctioned individuals.

The approval came after early media reports claimed Hungary was holding the finalization of the sanctions package, insisting on removal of the Russian patriarch. 

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Hungary delays EU sanctions package

The new measures will come into effect after publication in the EU official journal, expected on Friday.

Early this week, EU leaders agreed in principle on the sixth sanctions package that will see a ban on almost 90 percent of all Russian oil imports by the end of the year, as well as other hard-hitting measures, including de-Swifting the largest Russian bank Sberbank, banning three more Russian state-owned broadcasters.

The EU had already imposed five previous rounds of sanctions on Russia over the ongoing conflicts between Russia and Ukraine. The sanctions have targeted more than 1,000 people individually.

Early on Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned that new sanctions package against Russia will have a self-destructive effect for the European Union.