The European Commission has proposed sanctions against the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, over his support for Russia’s war on Ukraine, according to media reports, writes aa.com.tr.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented a draft of the sixth round of sanctions against Russia to European Union lawmakers earlier in the day.

The EU executive body suggested, among other things, to ban Russian oil imports and exclude Sberbank from the SWIFT international payment system as well as to hit new individuals with an asset freeze and travel ban.

Von der Leyen did not mention names, but according to the news outlet Politico, Patriarch Kirill will be on the blacklist for being “one of the most prominent supporters of the Russian military aggression against Ukraine”.

According to the draft seen by the outlet, the church leader used sermons and made remarks to support the war and blessed soldiers fighting in Ukraine, which contributed to a large extent to amply Russian President Vladimir Putin’s messages.