Australia seeks to join global move to hit Putin with sanctions

FILE PHOTO: Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne speaks during the annual Munich Security Conference, in Munich, Germany February 19, 2022. REUTERS/Andreas Gebert

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australia seeks to join others in imposing direct sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin and has extended its punitive financial measures to members of Russia's parliament and more oligarchs, Foreign Minister Marise Payne said on Saturday.

The United States, Canada, European Union and Britain said they would impose sanctions on Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, as Washington looks to ramp up pressure on Moscow following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.