Ambassadors from EU countries adopt 16th package of sanctions on Russia
Close to the third anniversary of the February 24 2022 Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, ambassadors of EU states have adopted the 16th package of sanctions against Moscow.
The February 19 approval of the sanctions comes a day after Russia and the United States began talks in Riyadh billed as aimed at paving the way for an end to the war.
Some of the measures in the new package include sanctions against 73 more ships from Putin’s shadow fleet, the exclusion of 13 more Russian banks from the international SWIFT banking system, the revocation of the licence and suspension of broadcasting in the EU of eight more Russian media outlets, a ban on the import of aluminum from Russia and sanctions against 53 more individuals and legal entities in Russia.
In a message on X on February 19, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “I welcome the agreement on our 16th package of sanctions.
“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,” Von der Leyen said.
“We are committed to keep up the pressure on the Kremlin,” she said.
EU foreign policy chief posted on X her welcome for the agreement on the sanctions.
“With tighter measures on circumvention, new import and export bans, and sanctions on Putin’s shadow fleet, we are closing backdoors for Russia’s war machine to operate,” Kallas said.
“The Kremlin won’t break our resolve,” she said.
(Photo: EC Audiovisual Service)
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