EU to prepare 19th sanctions package as Russia continues to reject ceasefire, Kallas says
The European Union is preparing a 19th package of sanctions against Russia as Moscow continues to reject calls for a ceasefire in Ukraine, top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas announced on Aug. 11, Reuters reported.
The statement comes ahead of the scheduled Aug. 15 meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
EU leaders and President Volodymyr Zelensky will not attend the meeting on U.S. soil, but are expected to hold online talks with Trump in the lead-up to the summit on Aug. 13.
"As far as Russia has not agreed to a full and unconditional ceasefire, we should not even discuss any concessions," Kallas said.
"The sequencing of the steps is important. First, an unconditional ceasefire with a strong monitoring system and ironclad security guarantees," she said, adding that "we will work on a 19th package of sanctions."
The EU approved its previous sanctions package on July 18, describing it as "one of its strongest" to date, aimed at ramping up economic pressure on Russia.
The 18th sanctions package lowered the price cap on Russian oil from $60 to $47.60 per barrel and targeted over 100 vessels in Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" and their affiliates. The measures aimed to curb revenue from fossil fuel exports, a key source of funding for the Kremlin's war against Ukraine.
Despite the measures, Russia has taken no steps toward ending the war in Ukraine and continues its offensive along the front line. Three rounds of direct talks between Ukraine and Russia, along with U.S.-led peace efforts, have so far failed to bring the war closer to a resolution.
Meanwhile, European leaders are worried about being sidelined ahead of the upcoming summit between Trump and Putin, the New York Times reported on Aug. 9.
In a joint statement on Aug. 10, leaders of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden said they welcome Trump's initiative to end the war but noted that a "diplomatic solution must safeguard the vital security interests of both Ukraine and Europe."
The Nordic and Baltic leaders also stressed that negotiations "can only take place in the context of a ceasefire" and that the "path to peace cannot be charted without Ukraine's voice."
"No decisions on Ukraine without Ukraine, and no decisions on Europe without Europe," the leaders said in their statement, pledging continued support for Kyiv and adding that Russia must be consistently pressured to end the war.
