BRUSSELS — The European Union has agreed to impose a new round of sanctions against Russia, threatening to slap on another one if the country continues to refuse the 30-day unconditional ceasefire proposed by the White House and the "Coalition of the Willing".
The big push comes as Volodymyr Zelensky challenges Vladimir Putin to sit down for direct peace talks in Turkey, a format endorsed by Donald Trump. So far, the Kremlin has not confirmed whether the Russian president will actually travel to Istanbul.
"I believe that if Putin does not arrive and plays games, it is the final point that he does not want to end the war," Zelensky said.
The preliminary deal on the new sanctions, the 17th package since February 2022, was sealed on Wednesday morning during a meeting of EU ambassadors and is expected to be formally approved by foreign affairs ministers next week.
Hungary, a vocal critic of economic restrictions, which has twice this year almost blocked their renewal, did not oppose the measures. The behind-the-scenes discussions among member states proceeded without any major controversy, diplomats noted, a possible sign of the limited scope of the proposal.
"This war has to end. We will keep the pressure high," said Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission.
Once again, the prime target of the sanctions is the "shadow fleet" that the Kremlin has deployed to circumvent Western restrictions on the oil trade and maintain a source of revenue that is crucial to fund the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The fleet consists of old-age, uninsured ships suspected of deceptive practices, including transmitting falsified data, turning off their transponders to become invisible and conducting multiple ship-to-ship transfers to conceal the origin of their barrels. The vessels are also under scrutiny for engaging in sabotage against critical infrastructure.
So far, the bloc has targeted 153 tankers from the "shadow fleet", all of which have been denied access to EU ports and services.
The new sanctions add almost 200 vessels, bringing the total number to over 350.
Wednesday's agreement also blacklists 75 individuals and companies involved in Russia's military industrial complex and over 30 firms suspected of supplying Moscow with dual-use goods that Western allies have prohibited, diplomats said. It also bans the exports of EU-made chemicals that can be used to produce missiles.
With the 17th package almost completed, Brussels is already looking at the next step.
The lack of progress on the diplomatic front has fuelled calls across Europe for tightening economic pressure on Russia as a way to force Putin's hand and make him accept a ceasefire. The Kremlin, however, has shown no willingness to engage with this proposal.
"We can confirm that, in the absence of a ceasefire, (...) we are indeed looking into further sanctions," a Commission spokesperson said on Tuesday.
In a late-night address, French President Emmanuel Macron name-checked Russia's financial services, oil and gas as potential targets, in coordination with Washington.
Europe's objective is to "achieve a thirty-day ceasefire on land, air and sea to discuss the issue of territories and security guarantees," Macron said.
But any new plan, especially if hard-hitting, is poised to face the resistance of Hungary.
While Budapest eventually relented and agreed to renew the existing sanctions, Brussels was left rattled by the against-the-clock race and is currently mulling alternative methods to bypass vetoes and ensure the extensive regime can remain in place.
"We are exploring all options," Valdis Dombrovskis, the European Commissioner for Economy, said on Tuesday.
"Those are difficult discussions, but so far we were able to agree on a large number of sanctions packages (...) through the unanimity procedure. So we need to have all the tools and all options on the table." — Euronews
