rki.news | Sources: Xinhua
BRUSSELS, July 23: European Union ambassadors on Thursday reached a political agreement on the bloc’s 21st package of sanctions against Russia, introducing additional measures targeting the financial, energy and trade sectors.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the agreement in a post on X, saying the package would place another 32 Russian banks under EU transaction restrictions. The measures also target cryptocurrency firms and oil trading platforms linked to Russia.
According to von der Leyen, the EU has decided to maintain the existing price cap mechanism on Russian oil for another year, aiming to prevent Russia from benefiting from fluctuations in global energy markets.
The package also introduces measures against vessels the EU says are assisting Russia’s so called shadow fleet. In addition, the bloc has taken steps toward formally banning Russian combatants from entering EU member states.
The sanctions package still requires technical finalization and formal approval by all 27 EU member states through a written procedure before it takes effect.
The European Commission first proposed the 21st sanctions package in June, with a focus on Russia’s energy, financial, cryptocurrency and trade sectors.