Permanent representatives of the European Union member states agreed today on new restrictive measures against Russia, as the bloc continues to increase pressure on Moscow ahead of tomorrow's peace talks between the Kremlin and Kiev in Istanbul.
Some EU diplomats, however, say it is a relatively weak sanctions package.
The new package of sanctions, the 17th since the beginning of Russia's aggression against Ukraine in February 2022, includes a visa ban and asset freeze on senior Russian officials from the world of politics and business.
According to Radio Free Europe (RFE), which had access to the document, the new package of measures also foresees export restrictions for 35 companies, most of which are Russian, but there are also companies from Serbia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.
The package also includes a ban on the export of chemicals used to produce weapons, trade restrictions on dozens of companies involved in circumventing sanctions, and the listing of Russia's "shadow fleet," nearly 200 oil export ships used to evade Western oil price restrictions, the Brussels-based Euractiv portal reported.
EU diplomats say Hungary and Slovakia, two of the EU's most pro-Russian members who remain heavily dependent on Russian energy imports, supported the new sanctions package because of its relative weakness.
At the same time, Sweden and Finland said the package must be approved by their national parliaments, which diplomats expect will happen, as both countries support new sanctions on Moscow.
The package was approved after several EU ministers and officials yesterday pledged to further introduce restrictive measures to force Moscow to start peace talks with Kiev.
The finance ministers of Sweden and Lithuania called for the introduction of an 18th package of sanctions after Russia ignored the EU's deadline from earlier this week for a thirty-day ceasefire.
European Commissioner for the Economy Valdis Dombrovskis said yesterday that Brussels is ready to continue to pressure Russia, both with new sanctions and better enforcement of existing ones, if no agreement is reached in Istanbul.
He also said that "the most effective way to reduce the income of the Russian military machinery" is to limit Moscow's income from energy exports.
The new sanctions package will be formally approved by EU foreign ministers in Brussels on May 20th.
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