EU member states agree on new sanctions against Russia

Ambassadors of the European Union member states have agreed on a new package of sanctions in response to Russian aggression against Ukraine, the Belgian presidency of the Council announced on X on Thursday.

This is the 14th set of sanctions since the start of the war in February 2022. The new sanctions had been under negotiation for a long time, with Germany blocking unanimity.

The Belgian presidency said on X that EU ambassadors have now agreed on a "powerful and substantial" package that "provides new targeted measures and maximises the impact of existing sanctions by closing loopholes".

Among other things, the sanctions target the transhipment of Russian liquefied natural gas and take tougher measures against companies that violate the sanctions.

With the European Commission, the Belgian presidency tabled a new compromise proposal on Wednesday, which has now been accepted. Details of the sanctions adopted have not yet emerged.

In a post welcoming the agreement on X, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said the "'hard-hitting package" will "further deny Russia access to key technologies", "strip Russia of further energy revenues" and "tackle Putin’s shadow fleet and shadow banking network abroad".

^{Greenpeace activists block a Russian shipment from being unloaded at a liquefied natural gas terminal in Tornio, Finland © PHOTO ANTTI YRJONEN / GREENPEACE / LEHTIKUVA / AFP}