The Polish EU presidency confirmed that the EU’s 27 member states greenlit the sanctions during negotiations in Brussels.
The sanctions package—scheduled for official approval on Tuesday—targets approximately 200 oil tankers allegedly involved in bypassing oil export limits on Russia.
Companies based in Vietnam, Serbia, Turkey, and other nations also face new restrictions over alleged involvement in supplying military equipment to Russian forces.
Additionally, dozens of Russian officials will join the existing list of nearly 2,400 individuals and entities subject to EU asset freezes and travel bans.
Furthermore, EU leaders have warned Moscow it will face severe economic penalties unless it accepts a US-supported proposal for a month-long cessation of the war in Ukraine.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz cautioned Russia on Tuesday that further European sanctions would be imposed if there was no “real progress” toward peace in Ukraine this week.
The first direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine since 2022 are scheduled for Thursday in Istanbul, Turkey.
Russian President Vladimir Putin called for resuming direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul, “without preconditions,” seeking a comprehensive, long-lasting peace agreement in place of an armistice that allows Ukraine to rebuild and rearm.
Since the onset of the conflict, the United States and its European allies have unleashed an array of unprecedented sanctions against Russia and poured a huge number of advanced weapons into Ukraine to help its military fend off Russian troops, despite repeated warnings by the Kremlin that such measures will only prolong the war.
Moscow has repeatedly blamed Ukraine and the West for the collapse of the talks.
RHM/
