European Union diplomats said on Tuesday that the Commission has proposed to add more individuals and over 100 vessels linked to Russia’s shadow fleet to its 17th package of sanctions against Moscow.
One of the diplomats said an exemption from sanctions on the Russian oil and gas project Sakhalin-2 will be extended to June next year, owing to its importance to Japan.
According to them, the proposal has come sooner than expected, and has been kept “simple”;.
Member states were not informally consulted in advance on the contents, which has been the norm for previous Russian measures.
However, countries are expected to agree on the proposal quickly, with the first discussions due to take place on Wednesday.
In mid-April, the Commission’s work on new measures was reportedly moving slowly, and any new restrictions were not expected to materialise until June.
The diplomats added that the package contains tighter export controls on goods that can be repurposed by Russia’s military and advanced technologies, along with the listing of more shadow fleet vessels.
Moscow is said to have built up a vast fleet operating outside of western networks to export its oil and buy ammunition.
According to the diplomats, over 50 individuals and entities would be sanctioned, including five in China. Further, new measures would target 31 companies helping Russia’s military or involved in sanctions evasion, of which 13 are outside Russia.
The aim is said to show that the 27-member bloc can still agree on something against Russia after repeated veto threats from Hungary’s Russia-friendly government on Russia sanctions.
Last week, French Foreign Minister, Jean-Noël Barrot said the EU would try to coordinate the timing of its next package with the United States.
DAILY POST reports that officials in Washington have finalised new economic sanctions against Russia to intensify pressure on Moscow to embrace US President Donald Trump’s efforts to end its war in Ukraine.
However, it was not immediately clear whether US President Donald Trump would sign off on the new restrictions, which include new targets such as Russia’s gas behemoth Gazprom.
