EU countries have agreed on a new round of sanctions against Russia, diplomats said Wednesday, as the bloc looks to maintain pressure on Moscow ahead of the third anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The wide-ranging package, which includes a ban on imports of Russian aluminum, will be formally adopted by EU foreign ministers on Monday.
"The EU is clamping down even harder on circumvention by targeting more vessels in Putin's shadow fleet and imposing new import and export bans," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X.
"We are committed to keep up the pressure on the Kremlin," she added.
The EU's 16th round of sanctions on Russia comes as U.S. President Donald Trump maneuvers around Kyiv and its European allies by launching direct talks with Moscow to end the war in Ukraine.
Besides targeting Russia's lucrative aluminum sector, the new measures target the so-called "shadow fleet" used to skirt sanctions on Russian oil exports by blacklisting 73 more aging vessels.
Brussels will also disconnect a further 13 Russian banks from the global SWIFT payment system and ban a further eight Russian media outlets from broadcasting in Europe.
European officials are scrambling to react after Trump seemingly upends three years of staunch U.S. support for Kyiv by starting talks with Moscow.
On Tuesday, top Russian and U.S. officials held their first direct talks since Moscow’s February 2022 invasion, with delegates from both sides striking a positive tone while downplaying the chances of an immediate breakthrough in Ukraine peace negotiations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized the meeting in Saudia Arabia for not including any representatives from Ukraine and called for "fair" talks that involve Kyiv and European countries.
Brussels is urgently trying to make its voice heard as it fears a peace deal struck between Washington and Moscow could fail to take Ukraine's interests into account.
U.S. officials have said that the EU will eventually play a role in the talks due to the sanctions it has imposed on Russia.
AFP contributed reporting.
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