The member states of the European Union have reached this Friday an ‘in extremis’ agreement to adopt the tenth round of sanctions against Russia for the military invasion of Ukraine, a package that marks the anniversary of the Russian aggression and will have a impact of 11,000 million eurosaccording to calculations by the European Commission.
“Together, the EU Member States have imposed the strongest and most far-reaching sanctions ever seen to help kyiv win the war. The EU is united with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. We will continue to support Ukraine as long as it is necessary,” the Swedish Presidency of the EU Council said on Twitter.
With this new round of sanctions the Twenty-seven redouble the pressure against the Kremlin and its accomplices with a package that arrives on the first anniversary of the invasion, as the EU had proposed to respond to the new offensive by Moscow. The new batch includes restrictions on exports of key European technological elements for the operation of the Russian Army and are also directed against Iran for its support for Russia in the context of the war.
The package, agreed two hours before the deadline endedincludes the veto on the import of Russian industrial products such as asphalt or synthetic rubber, an element that has focused the discussions in recent days before the divisions within the EU for the allowed quota or the transition period to apply the import ban.
Besides, the bloc steps forward with exports of key resources for Russian industrial production such as weapons, trucks, agricultural and forestry vehicles or drones, all elements that can be used for Russia’s military logistics in Ukraine.
Under the tenth package, the EU adds a hundred individuals and entities to its ‘black list’, such as military and political commandersas well as propagandists and those responsible for spreading disinformation about the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In all, after a year of Russian invasion, the EU already imposes sanctions on more than 1,300 people and more than 170 entities, including the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and high military commanders, officials and businessmen who cooperate with the Kremlin to facilitate the Ukrainian aggression.
The new restrictions put the focus on the phenomenon of circumvallation of sanctions and there will be greater control at the level of the Member States to control the seized assets and with measures to prevent sanctions from being circumvented.