Brussels (TDI): The European Union (EU) agreed to impose new sanctions on Russia. This is the 16th package of sanctions targeting Russian primary aluminum and ships. Restrictions were placed on entities and individuals who supported Russia in the Russian-Ukraine war.
The European Commission President, Ursula Von der Leyen, announced the new sanctions by applauding the consensus on 16th set of sanctions.
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.
We are committed to keep up the pressure on the Kremlin.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) February 19, 2025
Europe has already imposed sanctions on Russian aluminum products. The EU imposed more sanctions on Russian primary aluminum products in the 16th package of sanctions. The EU imports 6% metal related products from Russia.
The European Union enforced new sanctions on imports and exports to bring down additional ships from Russia. The EU mentioned those ships as “shadow fleet”. The EU started to shut down such backdoors to make Russia’s war machine dysfunctional.
According to The Financial Times, the sanctions target 73 so-called shadow fleet tankers Moscow uses to export crude oil in violation of Western restrictions, 13 Russian banks, and scores of individuals and companies deemed to be helping the Kremlin’s war effort.
The EU is determined to put more pressure on Russia. The EU believes this 16th package of sanctions will be influential in this regard.
The 16th package of sanctions came after the 15th set of sanctions against Moscow, which the EU approved on December 16, 2024. The package targeted 54 people and 30 organizations from North Korea, China, and Russia, along with shipping firms that helped Russia sell its crude oil.
The announcement of the EU’s 16th package of sanctions followed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s declaration that Moscow would be released from economic sanctions as part of a settlement of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
