The Commission proposes new sanctions against Russia

European the commission presents a new package of sanctions against Russia. The new sanctions are to be aimed at, among other things, energy and banks, says the chairman of the commission Ursula von der Leyen in its announcement.

The measures would target, for example, ships that transport Russian crude oil. Sanctions would prohibit the provision of services to these vessels.

43 new ships are being added to the so-called shadow fleet, bringing the total to 640. The shadow fleet refers to ships that transport products subject to sanctions, obscuring information related to the ship and cargo.

The service ban should replace the price ceiling as a means of enforcement.

According to the news agency Reuters, a third of the oil exported by Russia goes on Western ships and supported by Western services to countries that buy Russian oil, such as India and China. Such services are offered by, for example, Greece, Cyprus and Malta.

New import bans are coming for, for example, chemicals and critical minerals. The EU also plans to add regional banks and companies working with cryptocurrencies to its sanctions list.

At issue is already the twentieth package of sanctions during the major attack on Ukraine that began almost four years ago.

Negotiations led by the United States are currently taking place between Russia and Ukraine.

“At the same time as the important peace talks are going on in Abu Dhabi, we have to be careful: Russia comes to the negotiating table with genuine issues only under pressure. It is the only language that Russia understands,” von der Leyen justified the need for a new sanctions package in a press release.