All articles tagged with #eu sanctions
German lawmakers from across the governing coalition condemned Itamar Ben-Gvir’s call for nightly targeted killings in Gaza and urged the EU to sanction him, a stance spanning conservatives, SPD, Greens, Left and AfD. While the push signals broad disapproval, EU sanctions require unanimity and Berlin has not yet acted, wary that timing could influence Israel’s October elections.
Ukraine urges the EU to sanction Russia's Rosatom following a POLITICO report alleging safety and engineering issues at the El Dabaa nuclear project, arguing Rosatom is not a reliable partner amid the war; Rosatom defends its safety oversight and says none of the allegations have been confirmed by project procedures.
The EU plans its most sweeping sanctions on Russia, proposing roughly 1,600 additional individuals and entities—mostly tied to the military-industrial complex—with travel bans and asset freezes, to be fast-tracked for adoption by October after EU diplomacy sources said the EEAS will present the list in September. No sectoral measures are expected initially. The effort would raise the total sanctioned to about 3,000 targets, with further listings planned later for human-rights abuses (trafficking Ukrainian children) and hybrid warfare activities like cyberattacks and misinformation.
Putin warned Moscow would retaliate if Europe seizes Russian ships or their cargo, denouncing the moves as piracy; the EU has added a mechanism to confiscate Russian oil on vessels tied to sanctions evasion, and Russia says it will respond even beyond its own waters. The report also notes recent detentions of Russian-oil tankers by EU/UK and outlines maritime traffic in the Asia-Pacific.
The EU’s 21st sanctions package targets Moscow’s war apparatus by designating over 50 military-industrial entities and the entire Garpiya long-range drone network, plus Russia’s Starlink-alternative satellite system Rassvet, aiming to choke dual-use tech supply chains and curb battlefield communications; analysts caution that while the measures press Russia, they may not quickly shift the broader strategic threat.
EU negotiators reached a 21st sanctions package against Moscow that includes a limited Greek gas carve-out allowing pre-invasion contracts to continue shipping Russian gas to non-EU markets while barring new shipments, and a 12‑month freeze of the Russian crude oil price cap at about $44.10 per barrel. The package also expands vessel and bank restrictions and adds to the blacklist, but preserves Greece’s shipping interests and requires unanimous EU agreement to end the carve-out.
Greece is blocking the EU's planned 2027 ban on Russian LNG to seek a carve-out allowing ships to continue transporting Russian LNG to non-EU customers; three options are on the table: push the issue until Athens drops the veto, briefly delay the transport ban while keeping the imports ban, or amend the text to grant an indefinite exemption—favored by Dynagas. The Commission and most member states want to maintain the ban, warning that concessions could weaken sanctions and worry Ukraine; the dispute underscores Greece’s leverage as a major LNG shipping hub and the contentious history of derogations.
Belgium's government approved 88 measures before the summer break, including an import ban on goods from illegally occupied Palestinian territories, part of broader EU pressure on Israel. Details of the ban are still unclear, while the EU weighs options like licensing, tariffs, or a total ban. France, Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Spain favor a full ban, whereas Germany and Italy oppose. If treated as foreign policy, the move would require unanimous backing. Belgian Foreign Minister criticized the EU for slow progress on stricter steps.
The EU has blacklisted members of Russia’s FSB-led Turla cyber espionage group for years of hacking and spying across Europe and Ukraine, targeting governments and critical infrastructure; the sanctions include travel bans and asset freezes on individuals and entities such as AST and NPP Gamma, with the UK also imposing penalties.
The EU’s 21st sanctions package on Russia faces major hurdles including Bulgaria’s opposition and a looming July 15 deadline to avoid an automatic rewrite of the seaborne oil price cap. Negotiators are weighing keeping the cap at $44 per barrel until January 2027 or delaying the review, while also debating LNG restrictions and fish imports. Bulgaria’s objections extend to proposed sanctions on Patriarch Kirill and Lukoil’s Vagit Alekperov due to domestic concerns, complicating talks as the Irish presidency takes over and bids to reach a deal.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev opposes EU sanctions on Patriarch Kirill, arguing the move would be symbolic and potentially counterproductive, complicating the bloc’s push for a unanimous decision that would include travel bans and asset freezes after Hungary lifted its veto.
The EU on June 15 adopted a new package of sanctions against Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine, targeting energy revenues, the military-industrial complex, and propagandists, with 34 individuals and 47 entities named, including the propagandists Alexandra Jost and Maria Volkonskaya. The package also targets drones and intermediaries and accompanies the development of a 21st sanctions package, including a plan to freeze the energy pricing mechanism through 2026. Western sanctions are estimated to have cost Russia about 1–1.3 trillion euros, as EU officials say they are progressively undermining Moscow’s war economy.
The EU is proposing a cod import ban on Russia as part of its latest sanctions package over the Ukraine invasion, following earlier steps that banned luxury seafood like caviar in 2022 and ended duty-free/MFN treatment for Russian fish in 2024. Ursula von der Leyen said the move targets one of the last major unsanctioned sectors, with Belarus aligned in trade restrictions. Russia remained a notable fish supplier to the EU in 2024 (€709 million), and while 2025 shipments rose 5% in volume and value, cod exports fell, with gains led by pollock. The report cites Just Food.
A car bomb in Balashikha killed Damir Davydov, head of Russia’s missile-and-artillery wing, with a second bomb found elsewhere; the attack coincides with Ukrainian strikes on energy infrastructure, fuel shortages in Russia’s south, and other regional blasts, as the EU proposes broad sanctions targeting oil revenue, ships, metals, crypto, and banks to curb Moscow’s war effort, while Ukraine and EU leaders push reforms and diplomacy amid ongoing military and political developments.
The European Commission announced the EU's 21st sanctions package against Russia, which includes pausing the energy-price cap for Russian imports through 2026 to curb windfall profits, expanding restrictions on crypto-asset services linked to sanction-evasion jurisdictions, denying entry to current and former Russian military personnel, and imposing import bans on Russian fish (including Belarus) along with new penalties for ships and the shadow fleet; additional measures target third-country facilitators and are expected to be formally adopted in June–July after unanimity among EU states.