2024-02-21T13:41:47+00:00
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/ The European Union announced, on Wednesday, imposing a new package of sanctions on five countries for cooperating with Russia in its war on Ukraine.
The sanctions proposal included imposing restrictions on exports by three Chinese companies for supplying supplies to the Russian army, as well as blacklisting the North Korean defense minister for supplying Moscow with missiles, according to Agence France-Presse.
“EU ambassadors have just agreed in principle on the 13th package of sanctions against Russian aggression against Ukraine,” the Belgian presidency of the bloc said on X (formerly Twitter), describing it as one of the most comprehensive packages ever agreed by the bloc.
The new EU sanctions also target companies from India, Turkey and Serbia for their contribution to the Russian war effort. They also include asset freezes in the EU and travel bans for the individuals concerned.
The blacklist includes more than 2,000 individuals or entities, according to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who said the EU was thus keeping “pressure on the Kremlin.”
“We must continue to weaken Putin’s war machine,” she said.
The sanctions still need to be finally adopted by the 27 countries before February 24, the date of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine two years ago.
Hungary had blocked the adoption of this package but ultimately decided not to use its veto against it.
“I think the EU is making the wrong decision,” Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said this week, adding: “It has been proven that these sanctions packages affect Europe much more than they affect the Russian economy.”