The European Union approved and adopted the 19th package of sanctions against Russia in connection with the invasion of Ukraine, reported European Commission Vice President Kaja Kallas.
«We have just adopted our 19th sanctions package. The targets are, in particular, Russian banks, cryptocurrency exchanges, organizations in India and China. The EU is restricting the movements of Russian diplomats to counter destabilization attempts. It is becoming increasingly difficult for Putin to finance this war», — she wrote on social network X.
On the eve, the new sanctions package was approved by EU ambassadors after Austria, Hungary, and Slovakia withdrew their objections.
As reported by Reuters, the 19th sanctions package also includes a ban on the import of Russian liquefied natural gas. Restrictions will be introduced in two stages: short-term contracts will be terminated in six months, and long-term ones from January 1, 2027. The blacklist of tankers from the so-called shadow fleet has also been expanded, with their total number increasing from 441 to 558.
The full list of companies and individuals included in the sanctions register in the 19th package has not yet been published.
Meanwhile, according to Bloomberg, in total, EU measures will affect 45 organizations that helped the Kremlin circumvent sanctions, including 12 companies in China and Hong Kong, and operations with five Russian banks will be banned.
The package coincided with the tightening of sanctions by the United States. As noted by EU foreign policy representative Kaja Kallas, this indicates that pressure on Russia to end the war in Ukraine is being exerted from both sides of the Atlantic.