European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen outlined in Brussels on Tuesday the next package of EU sanctions against Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine.
The proposals, which would require approval from member states’ governments, also include a bid to deny Russian military service people entry to the EU.
The bloc is also planning further sanctions on various industrial sectors, the banking industry and crypto assets charged with helping to curb sanctions on things like oil sales on Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” of ships.
What did von der Leyen say about the army entry ban?
Von der Leyen told reporters in Brussels that the sanctions would apply to anyone who had served in the Russian armed forces since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“We propose for the first time to ban entry into the EU for anyone who has served in the Russian armed forces since the beginning of the war,” von der Leyen said.
“Europe remains off limits to anyone who took part in the invasion of Ukraine,” he said.
What other sanctions is the EU planning?
Von der Leyen also proposed measures targeting Russia’s financial, energy and fisheries sectors.
This would include a proposal to keep the current price limit on Russian oil stable until January next year, despite the recent rise in oil prices due to the conflict in Iran and the wider Gulf region. The cap – which currently prohibits purchases at prices above $44.10 (€38) a barrel, well below market rates – would rise along with global prices without this adjustment.
“Our oil price cap has a built-in adjustment mechanism to follow the market. It was not designed to account for the market shock caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz,” von der Leyen said.
The sanctions will target an additional 31 Russian banks, and also add 30 more ships to the 632 vessels already listed as part of the Russian “shadow fleet.”
Von der Leyen said the EU is also targeting more metals and alloys used in the aerospace and defense industries.
The bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that “Brick by brick, we are dismantling the foundations of Russia’s war economy.”
Zelensky attends Nordic and Baltic summits amid drone alert
Also on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, visiting the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) summit as a guest, met with leaders of the Nordic and Baltic states in Tallin, Estonia.
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden are members of the group.
Zelensky also held bilateral meetings with the prime ministers of some countries, as well as Estonian President Alar Karis, in Tallinn.
“We will discuss how we can strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities, increase pressure on Russia and make all of Europe safer,” Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michael said ahead of the summit.
The Nordic and Baltic states are among Ukraine’s strongest supporters amid Russian aggression. Finland and Sweden, which remained neutral during the Cold War, are also the latest NATO members to join the alliance in response to the war.
The visit follows a series of recent incidents where Ukrainian drones strayed into the airspace of the Baltic states or Finland. Kiev and NATO members accused Russia of tampering with the plane’s navigation system.
Kiev has been targeting sites in northwestern Russia in recent weeks, particularly the key Baltic oil terminals of Primorsk and Ust-Luga.
Zelensky said online that Ukraine would offer to send drone interception experts to affected countries to assist, adding that Kiev had already provided a similar service to Gulf countries amid Iranian drone attacks.
“We sent our expert teams who trained them on how to act in different threat situations. And these are very quick and effective solutions,” he said.
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Edited by: Jennifer Cimino Gonzalez