EU plans to impose 20th sanctions package against Russia on Feb. 24, Kallas says
The European Union aims to impose a 20th sanctions package against Russia on Feb. 24, the day marking the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told reporters on Jan. 29.
"We aim to come out with this (sanctions package) on the 24th of February" Kallas said during a press conference.
Despite ongoing conversations among EU countries, Kallas said that an agreement on the sanctions package has not yet been finalized.
"Countries are proposing different things ... the work is ongoing," she said, adding, without providing specifics, that proposals include a "full maritime services ban" as well as additional sanctions on Russian energy and fertilizer.
Speaking to reporters on Jan. 29, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot called for a complete maritime services ban on Russia in an effort to halt the movement of Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" of oil tankers.
The previous sanctions package, approved on Oct. 23, imposed sanctions on 118 vessels of the so-called "shadow fleet," as well as Russian banks, energy revenues, and networks involved in circumventing existing restrictions imposed over Moscow's full-scale war against Ukraine. For the first time, the EU also imposed restrictions on crypto platforms and on banks in Russia and other countries that facilitate sanctions evasion.
President Volodymyr Zelensky previously said Kyiv will propose that the 20th sanctions package target "Russian legal entities and individuals that are still profiting from energy resources."
"There will also be updates on the abductors of Ukrainian children – this must be met with truly global pressure. And, of course, there must also be substantially increased pressure on all schemes that enable Russian military production. This is vital," Zelensky added.
