As U.S. President Donald Trump pushes for talks with Russia to end the war in Ukraine, the European Union (EU) on Wednesday agreed on a new round of sanctions against Moscow. This package includes a ban on Russian aluminum imports and sanctions targeting 73 vessels in Russia’s shadow fleet.
The EU’s decision came one day after senior U.S. and Russian diplomats met in Saudi Arabia to discuss a potential resolution to the conflict in Ukraine. The 27 EU member states endorsed the 16th sanctions package, which aims to intensify pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin by restricting Moscow’s energy and metals exports.
An EU official involved in the sanctions package expressed concern over the possibility of the U.S. decoupling its sanctions from the EU’s, which could weaken the economic pressure on Russia. “There’s deep concern about how we can maintain economic pressure on Russia if the U.S. delinks its sanctions from ours,” the official told the Financial Times.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently told European diplomats that he supports the EU’s decision to expand and maintain sanctions during the ongoing U.S.-Russia talks, according to two EU officials.
The 16th sanctions package, timed to be adopted near the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, includes a one-year phase-in for the ban on primary aluminum imports from Russia. The EU has also broadened its criteria for targeting Russian vessel owners, operators, and captains involved in the shadow tanker fleet.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized the EU’s commitment to maintaining pressure on Russia. “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,” she said on Wednesday via social media.
These sanctions come as the EU and Ukraine push for a place in the discussions about Ukraine’s future, following a shift in U.S. policy toward Russia. This week, U.S. and Russian officials began talks on a potential ceasefire in Ukraine and economic rapprochement, marking a dramatic shift in U.S. policy toward President Putin.
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