War in Ukraine: EU increases pressure on Russia

The EU increases the pressure on Russia before US President Donald Trump and Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin. Representatives of the 27 Member States in Brussels agreed on a new extensive sanction package. The third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine will come into force next Monday and will include new trade restrictions as well as measures against Russian media and the so -called Russian shadow fleet.

The EU hopes that the new, now the 16th sanction package will help to increase the price for the continuation of the war for Russia. Ideally, the chance of a fair agreement on the end of the war could also be increased.

According to diplomats, the new package provides for the following points:

A ban on shops with ports and airports in Russia, which are used to circumvent the price limit for Russian oil and other sanctions export bans for chemical preliminary products, chrome, certain machine parts and devices that can be used like video game controllers to control combat drones For Russian aluminum products exclusion of 13 other banks from the Financial communication system Swift; In addition, imposing a transaction ban against three financial institutions recording of 73 other shadow fleet in the EU sanction list as well as rules of control, which also allow the sanctioning of owners, operators and captains, the exposure to the round-wheel licenses of eight Russian media companies in the EU mandatory of asset locks and EU entry bansions against 48 People as well as 35 institutions and organizational ban, services for Russian oil and gas refineries provide the list of people, organizations and institutions that work with the military-industrial complex of Russia. They are affected by trade restrictions, among other things.

The last large package of the EU with Russia sanctions so far was decided in December. Like the package now agreed, it also included measures against the Russian shadow fleet. The sanctions against their ships are primarily about economic aspects, but also about environmental protection.

Russia has long been accused of relying on ships to circumvent a western price cover for Russian oil exports in third countries that have not been insured in the hands of Western shipping companies or western insurance. According to experts and environmentalists, there are major risks for shipping and the environment. For example, they point out that many tankers are outdated, have technical defects and are temporarily on the move without automatic identification system.