The European Union approved the latest sanctions package against Russia that targets Chinese and Indian companies that are said to be supporting Moscow's war on Ukraine.
The 13th round of sanctions has a heavy focus on fighting circumvention and target firms worldwide that are accused of providing Russia with advanced technology and military goods that were manufactured in the EU, particularly drone components.
EU Sanctions Against Russia
Several companies from Turkey and North Korea, among other nations, have also been targeted by the new sanctions. Officials added nearly 200 people and entities, the majority from Russia, to the blacklist, which now contains more than 2,000 names.
However, the latest package does not cover any person who was allegedly involved in the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the most prominent critic of President Vladimir Putin. Additionally, the new sanctions also did not include tighter restrictions on aluminum as the topic itself remains divisive.
The exact details of the new sanctions will become available after publication in the EU's official journal, which is expected to happen sometime later this week. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that they need to keep degrading Putin's war machine, as per EuroNews.
Previously, the bloc had tried to punish a handful of firms that were based in mainland China. However, complaints made by officials from Beijing and reservations from some member states prevented the action from taking place.
Eventually, the growing relationship between China and Russia pushed diplomats in Brussels to give the idea a second chance. Trade between the two countries reached a record high of more than $240 billion last year based on data from the Chinese government.
The new round of sanctions by the EU also targets Russian-operated institutions that re-educate children who have been kidnapped from Ukraine. The alleged kidnappings triggered an arrest warrant for Putin that was made by the International Criminal Court (ICC), which treats the charge as a war crime.
Targeting International Companies
In a social media post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Belgium said that EU ambassadors have just agreed in principle on a 13th package of sanctions in the framework of Russia's aggression against Ukraine, according to Reuters.
EU diplomatic sources for Reuters said that the focus of the new listing is roughly split between entities and individuals. They are part of Russia's military-industrial complex and include those who are involved in trafficking and kidnapping Ukrainian children. They added that one North Korean and one Belarusian firm were also added to the list.
Last March, the chief prosecutor of the ICC said that Russia had transferred "at least hundreds" of children from orphanages and care homes in occupied regions of Ukraine, many of whom have been given up for adoption.
On top of the latest round of sanctions, EU officials are also discussing a further package in response to the death of Navalny. The United Kingdom has decided to impose sanctions on six managers of the prison colony where the Russian opposition leader was found dead, said the Financial Times.
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