The European Commission has presented a draft of the 20th EU sanctions package against the Russian Federation, focusing primarily on energy, financial services, and trade. One of the main innovations will be a complete ban on providing maritime services for the transportation of Russian crude oil, aimed at sharply reducing Russia’s oil revenues and complicating the search for new buyers.
This is reported by Business • Media
Expansion of the Sanctions List and New Restrictions for the Shadow Fleet
According to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the sanctions list will be expanded by an additional 43 vessels from the shadow fleet, bringing the total number of such vessels to 640. In addition, the EU will make it more difficult for Moscow to access new tankers and will impose a ban on maintenance and the provision of other services for liquefied natural gas tankers and icebreakers.
Restrictions in the Banking Sector and Trade
The next block of sanctions concerns Russia’s financial system: an additional 20 Russian regional banks and several banks in third countries involved in the illegal trade of sanctioned goods will be subject to restrictions. Additional measures are also planned against cryptocurrency companies and platforms that help circumvent sanctions.
The third set of measures includes new bans on the export of goods and services, including rubber, tractors, cybersecurity services, with a total value of over 360 million euros. Furthermore, restrictions on the export of metals, chemical products, and critical minerals that were previously not covered by sanctions, amounting to over 570 million euros, are planned. Additional restrictions will also be imposed on goods and technologies for military purposes, including materials for the production of explosives.
“For the first time, we are activating the tool to counteract the circumvention of sanctions by banning the export of any numerically controlled machines and radio equipment to jurisdictions where there is a high risk of re-exporting these goods to Russia,” the European Commission added.
In the United States, it is noted that the speed and scope of new sanctions against the Russian Federation, particularly regarding its shadow fleet, will depend on the progress of peace negotiations. At the same time, the United Kingdom has stated its readiness to confiscate tankers linked to Russia, and the British Ministry of Defense is considering military actions to seize shadow tankers, discussing this issue with NATO allies.