EU adopts new sanctions against Russia

The European Union on Tuesday adopted new sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine, zeroing in on Moscow’s “shadow fleet” of oil tankers, human rights violations and hybrid threats, the EU’s foreign policy chief said.

“The EU has approved its 17th sanctions package against Russia, targeting nearly 200 shadow fleet ships,” Kaja Kallas said in a post on X.

“More sanctions on Russia are in the works. The longer Russia wages war, the tougher our response.”

The EU and its Western allies have been progressively cracking down on Russia’s shadow fleet of tankers and related actors that strive to circumvent the Group of Seven nations’ price cap on Russian crude in place since late 2022.

The G7 cap was designed to allow Russian oil to be sold to third countries using Western insurance services provided the price was no more than $60 a barrel.

The move has started to bite and the EU will push for a lower price cap this week during a meeting of G7 finance ministers in Canada. Oil and gas exports are one of Russia’s main sources of revenue that finance its war in Ukraine.

Photo: EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas/European Union, 2025

Source:  Reuters