The European Union (EU) approved on Wednesday (22) a new package of sanctions against Russia, expanding the economic siege on the country amid the prolongation of the conflict in Ukraine. The set of measures, the 19th since the start of the war, provides for additional cuts in imports of Russian gas and oil, as well as severe restrictions on companies and vessels linked to the energy sector.
According to information released by Reuters and confirmed by Lars Aagaard, Denmark’s Minister of Climate, Energy and Public Services — the country currently presiding over the European Council —, the agreement among member states was reached after Slovakia lifted its veto. The formal approval of the text is scheduled for this Thursday (23).
New Measures and Global Reach of Sanctions
The new package significantly expands the scope of the EU’s economic punishments. According to the proposal presented by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, four Chinese oil sector companies will be included on the sanctions list for helping Moscow circumvent Western restrictions. There is also a possibility that Indian companies will be affected, in a move that reinforces the global nature of Brussels’ measures.
In addition, the European bloc decided to completely ban imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) and sanction 118 ships identified as part of the so-called “shadow fleet” — vessels that, according to European authorities, have been used to transport Russian oil evading international controls.
The energy giants Rosneft and Gazpromneft will be subject to a total embargo, prohibited from conducting any type of transaction with companies and financial institutions in the bloc. In a statement, the European Commission stated that the new measures aim to “increase economic pressure on Moscow and its trading partners”.
Moscow’s Reaction
The Kremlin reacted with irony to the new sanctions, downplaying their impact on the Russian economy. “The last three years have clearly demonstrated this with the previous 18 packages. Well, it’s not up to us, but to others, to judge how effective they have been,” declared spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
He also criticized the collateral effects of the measures on the European countries themselves, stating that the EU “persists on this destructive path” and that the restrictions have caused more damage to the bloc’s economies than to Russia.
Source: brasil247.com