New EU sanctions hit Russian banks, oil, ships and diplomats

The European Union has officially adopted its 19th package of sanctions against Russia, Caliber.Az reports, citing a statement by the head of Eurodiplomacy Kaja Kallas, on her X social media page.

“We just adopted our 19th sanctions package. It targets Russian banks, crypto exchanges, entities in India and China, among others. The EU is curbing Russian diplomats’ movements to counter attempts at destabilisation. It is increasingly harder for Putin to fund this war,” Kallas wrote.

The new sanctions come after Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto confirmed that Budapest would not block the 19th package. He said Brussels had removed all items that were “contrary to the national interests” of Hungary.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen detailed that the sanctions will include a reduction in the price ceiling for Russian oil from $60 to $47.6 per barrel, restrictive measures against the Russian payment system Mir, a ban on transactions with Rosneft and Gazprom Neft, and sanctions against 118 ships suspected of transporting Russian oil.

Bloomberg reports that the restrictions also encompass a ban on imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) from 2027 and sanctions against an additional 117 vessels in Russia’s “shadow fleet.” Reuters adds that the EU will also restrict the movement of Russian diplomats within its borders as part of the package.

Bloomberg further reported that the sanctions include a ban on exports of goods worth over €40 billion to Russia, alongside restrictions on legal entities from China and India involved in trade with Russia.

On the same day, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that the new U.S. sanctions against Russia will be the largest imposed so far. He emphasised that these are not secondary sanctions and reiterated that President Donald Trump is disappointed with the progress of negotiations over Ukraine. Bessent also accused Moscow of allegedly conducting the peace process dishonestly.

During the preparation of the EU’s 19th package, there was discussion over including restrictions on the issuance of Schengen tourist visas to Russian citizens. However, these visa restrictions were ultimately not included in the final list.

By Tamilla Hasanova