EU countries agree new sanctions against Russia

The member states of the European Union (EU) have reached an agreement on the 11th package of sanctions against Russia.

“Today, the ambassadors of the EU countries agreed on the 11th package of sanctions against Russia,” the official social media account of the Swedish EU presidency shared.

“The package includes measures aimed at countering sanctions evasion and individuals to be listed,” the post said.

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the EU Commission, said in her statement on the subject: “I welcome the political agreement regarding our 11th sanctions package.”

Stating that the sanctions will deal another blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “war machine” with additional export restrictions, von der Leyen noted that Kremlin-supporting institutions are also in the crosshairs.

Von der Leyen stated that they will prevent Russia’s access to products under restrictive measures by closing the gaps in the current sanctions.

Full details of the new sanctions package have yet to be shared.

THEY WILL FIX THE GAPS IN SANCTIONS

The 11 sanctions package prepared by the EU against Russia focused on preventing breaches of existing sanctions and filling gaps in sanctions.

The package expanded the list of products prohibited from being sent to Russia, included elements to prevent these products from passing through third countries and established a new tool to combat sanctions circumvention.

The EU has implemented 10 sanctions packages against Russia so far.

Within this framework, a wide range of restrictions were applied to Russia on trade, finance, energy, including oil and coal, industry, technology, transportation, luxury and dual-use goods, and gold. The assets of more than a thousand people and more than 200 institutions were frozen. (AA)