On Wednesday, European Union countries agreed on a new sanctions package to prevent Russia from circumventing previous sanctions over its war on Ukraine using third countries and businesses.
The EU had already imposed ten sanctions on Moscow since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his military troops to invade Ukrainian territory on Feb. 24, 2022. The sanctions affected banks, companies, markets, and even parts of the sensitive energy sector. Furthermore, over 1,000 Russian officials were subjected to asset freezes and travel bans.
New EU Sanctions Affecting Russia
European officials have conducted much work in the latest batch of sanctions, including the closing of loopholes to prevent Russia's goods that are vital to its war effort not make it through using countries that trade with the EU and have continued a business-as-usual relationship with Moscow as a pathway.
In a statement, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that the latest package would further blow the Russian president's war machine. As per the Associated Press, she noted that this would be cone with tightened export restrictions and targeting entities supporting the Kremlin.
Von der Leyen added that the anti-circumvention tools put forward with the new package would keep Russia from acquiring sanctioned goods. This is the first time plans were announced to target trade via other countries. This is apart from sanctions against Iranians who have allegedly supplied drones to Moscow.
Furthermore, the new set of sanctions prohibits the transit of products via Russia of products and technologies that could bolster Moscow's defense and security sector. The latest package allows the bloc to take stricter action to end practices that it deems are connected to Moscow's trade.
It also allows explicit authorities to implement measures restricting the sale or export of sensitive dual-use goods and technology to third countries that could transfer the products to Russia.
Later this week, officials plan to reveal details of the new measure when the written procedure officially adopts the sanctions. According to Inquirer, authorities have agreed on previous sanctions in just months, which is a relatively quick timeframe for the EU.
Targeting Moscow's Trade Capabilities
However, it is getting harder for lawmakers to endorse new measures as they continue to damage some member countries' economies and political interests despite targeting Russia.
One example is Hungary, which earlier this week said it would not allow EU measures targeting Russian state nuclear energy company Rosatom. Budapest officials have insisted on the importance of such energy to maintain Europe's security and environmental goals.
The sanctions came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv's counteroffensive was progressing slowly. The remarks were made during an interview where Zelensky said that Ukrainian forces would not be pressured into accelerating their offensive despite the lack of advances.
The Ukrainian president said that some people believe the situation is a Hollywood movie and want to see the results as soon as possible. He argued that it was very different because people's lives were at stake, said DW News.
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