EU leaders, during a summit in Brussels, called on member states to strengthen restrictive measures against Russia to restrain its capabilities to wage a war of aggression, and in this context welcomed the adoption of the 17th package of EU sanctions against the aggressor state. At the same time, the final document of the summit contains no mention of the 18th package of sanctions proposed by the European Commission.
This follows from the text of the EU summit resolution, published on the European Council website.
“The European Union, together with partners, is determined to limit Russia’s ability to continue waging its war of aggression. Sanctions are an essential part of the EU’s policy to achieve this common objective. The European Council welcomes the adoption of the 17th package of sanctions, targeting notably Russia’s energy and financial sector, including the ‘shadow fleet’ of oil tankers and their operators,” the resolution says.
In the document, the European Council called for further measures against the Russian shadow fleet, which is used by Russia to circumvent EU sanctions and posing significant environmental and security risks. Leaders called on the EU Council to swiftly adopt the next package of sanctions and stressed the importance of further strengthening anti-circumvention efforts.
“Subject to EU law, Russia’s assets should remain immobilised until Russia ceases its war of aggression against Ukraine and compensates it for the damage caused by this war,” the European Council concluded.
The aforementioned resolution of the EU Council was adopted by 26 votes.
As reported, today in Brussels, EU heads of state and government met in the format of the European Council, which, among the most important issues, considered ways of further EU economic and military support for Ukraine.
Ahead of the summit, Slovakia and Hungary spoke against the 18th package of EU sanctions against Russia, proposed by the European Commission, due to their disagreement with the proposals to end all imports of Russian energy by the end of 2027, which forces both countries to explore alternatives.
In an address to EU leaders, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky called for the rapid adoption of the 18th package of EU sanctions against Russia, and noted that its main targets should be Russian oil, tanker fleet, banks, as well as all supply chains in Russian arms production.
Source: EU leaders call for tougher sanctions against Russia - resolution
