EU tightens Russia sanctions as US pushes to end Ukraine war

ISTANBUL

The EU has approved a fresh round of sanctions against Russia on Wednesday, as US President Donald Trump pushes for negotiations to bring an end to the Ukraine war.

"The EU is clamping down even harder on circumvention by targeting more vessels in Putin's shadow fleet and imposing new import and export bans," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on X.

"We are committed to keep up the pressure on the Kremlin," she said.

The latest sanctions, part of the EU’s 16th package of measures since February 2022, include restrictions on Russian aluminum imports and a ban on 73 vessels suspected of violating the Western-imposed oil price cap. However, some tankers facilitating sanctions evasion remain unaffected, The Guardian reported.

Additionally, the package freezes assets and imposes travel bans on 48 individuals and 35 entities. It also revokes licenses for eight Russian media outlets and excludes 13 banks from the Swift payment system.

A previous draft of the sanctions package suggested banning the sale of gaming consoles and joysticks to Russia, as they are suspected of being repurposed for drone warfare.

It remains unclear whether these restrictions made it into the final version, with full details of the sanctions expected to be published next week.

ISTANBUL

The EU has approved a fresh round of sanctions against Russia on Wednesday, as US President Donald Trump pushes for negotiations to bring an end to the Ukraine war.

"We are committed to keep up the pressure on the Kremlin," she said.

A previous draft of the sanctions package suggested banning the sale of gaming consoles and joysticks to Russia, as they are suspected of being repurposed for drone warfare.

It remains unclear whether these restrictions made it into the final version, with full details of the sanctions expected to be published next week.