EU foreign ministers reached a political agreement on Monday to impose sanctions on those responsible for the arrest and sentencing of Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny.

Sanctions are expected to be imposed in March. On returning to Russia from Germany last month, Navalny was arrested and convicted, which has triggered mass protests across Russia and resulted in protesters’ arrests.

“We are not satisfied with a lot of things concerning the Navalny case, but on the other hand it is important to pursue strategic dialogue. That is a so-called two-track approach, which means imposing sanctions on the one hand, but leaving communication channels with Russia open on the other,” Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic-Radman said.

The EU member states are not unanimous on the matter. Eastern countries and the Baltic states are seeking a tough stance, while Italy, Greece and Cyprus are more conciliatory towards Russia. The other countries are somewhere in between.

Asked which of the two approaches Croatia was closer to, Grlic-Radman said this was not about being closer. “Croatia is contributing to a constructive discussion and is giving its contribution to the relationship with Russia. We are implementing the European policy and everything that we decide together. Russia should be regarded as an important partner in areas of common interest such as the fight against climate change, the fight against the pandemic, terrorism and so on,” he said.

The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, said that for the first time ever the EU would apply the sanctions regime against individuals involved in human rights violations, established last December on the model of the Magnitsky Act of the United States which allows for sanctions to be imposed on individuals and legal entities for violating human rights anywhere in the world.