Member states’ ambassadors to the European Union (EU) on Wednesday approved the 11th package of sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, aiming to counter evasion of restrictive measures by taking in more people and entities.
“Today the EU ambassadors have agreed on the eleventh sanctions package against Russia,” the Swedish presidency of the Council announced in a publication on the social network Twitter, after a meeting of the permanent representatives of each member state in Brussels.
Stockholm adds that “the package includes anti-sanction evasion measures and individual lists”.
It extends the list of persons and entities subject to restrictive measures to prohibit third countries from assisting Russia in the deliberate circumvention of EU sanctions, as well as to include more products subject to restrictions for controls on transit shipments (such as advanced technology and aircraft components).
It also involves restrictions on the sale of certain items to specific third countries where there is a risk that they will be used to circumvent the rules.
Today’s ‘green light’ comes after the European Commission sent a proposal to member states on the 11th package of sanctions against Russia in early May, to prevent evasion of restrictive measures and, as with the 10 previous sanctions packages, unanimity among member states required states.
The EU imposed sanctions on Russia in response to the offensive war against Ukraine, which began on 24 February 2022, and the illegal annexation of the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson.
The sanctions and the mechanism to prevent their avoidance had been agreed for weeks, but Greece and Hungary blocked the completion of the process. Athens and Budapest wanted Ukraine to remove some of its companies from the list of entities sponsoring the Russian invasion.
This issue has led to tensions between the two member states with Kiev, delaying the agreement between the 27.
The 10 sanctions packages already in place aim to give serious consequences to Russia for its actions and hinder Moscow’s ability to continue the war against Ukraine.
The Russian military offensive on Ukrainian territory plunged Europe into what is considered the most serious security crisis since World War II (1939-1945).
Source: DN
