The European Union (EU) approved a new package of sanctions against Russia on Wednesday (22), increasing the economic siege on the country amid the prolonged conflict in Ukraine. The set of measures, the 19th since the beginning of the war, provides for additional cuts in imports of Russian gas and oil, in addition to severe restrictions on companies and vessels linked to the energy sector.
According to information released by Reuters and confirmed by Lars Aagaard, Minister of Climate, Energy and Utilities of Denmark — the country that currently holds the presidency of the European Council — the agreement between member states was reached after Slovakia’s veto was lifted. Formal approval of the text is scheduled for this Thursday (23).
New measures and global scope of sanctions
The new package significantly expands the scope of the EU’s economic sanctions. According to the proposal presented by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, four Chinese oil companies will be included on the sanctions list for helping Moscow circumvent Western restrictions. Indian companies may also be affected, 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 “ghost fleet” — vessels that, according to European authorities, have been used to transport Russian oil, circumventing international controls.
Energy giants Rosneft and Gazpromneft will be subject to a total embargo, prohibiting them 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 ironically to the new sanctions, downplaying their impact on the Russian economy. “The last three years have clearly demonstrated this with the 18 previous sanctions packages. Well, it’s not for us, but for others, to judge how effective they were,” said spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
He also criticized the side effects of the measures on European countries themselves, saying 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