New EU sanctions package will make it harder for Putin to fund Ukraine war - Kallas

EU High Representative Kaja Kallas has said that she believes that with the adoption of the 19th package of EU sanctions against Russia, it will become even more difficult for Vladimir Putin to finance his war against Ukraine.

"We just adopted our 19th sanctions package.It targets Russian banks, crypto exchanges, entities in India and China, among others.The EU is curbing Russian diplomats’ movements to counter the attempts of destabilisation. It is increasingly harder for Putin to fund this war," she said on X on Thursday.

As Kallas noted, the EU is restricting the movement of Russian diplomats to counter attempts at destabilization.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lukke Rasmussen also said that the new package will introduce new comprehensive measures that will affect Russia’s oil and gas and financial sectors, as well as its shadow fleet.

Rasmussen highlighted the ban on imports of Russian liquefied natural gas as an important step towards the EU’s complete rejection of Russian energy resources.

Earlier, Kallas stated after the meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg on October 20 that after the approval of the 19th package of EU sanctions against Russia, work will begin on the 20th package, and it will not be the last.

As reported, on September 19, the European Commission presented the 19th package of EU sanctions against Russia. This package proposed the introduction of sanctions in the energy, finance and military technologies sectors. In particular, in the energy sector - a ban on the import of Russian LNG (liquefied natural gas) to EU markets. The ban should come into force from January 2027 (a year earlier than planned in the REPowerEU). Also included is a complete ban on transactions for Rosneft and Gazpromneft, sanctions against 118 "shadow fleet" vessels that help circumvent oil restrictions and additional control over traders (in particular in China).

In the field of finance and cryptocurrency: for the first time - sanctions against crypto platforms and cryptocurrency transactions that Russia uses to circumvent restrictions; ban on the Mir payment system (for foreign banks cooperating with it), sanctions against banks in the Russian Federation and third countries that help circumvent sanctions.

In the field of military technologies and exports – the sanctions "blacklists" 45 companies (in the Russian Federation and third countries) that support the Russian military-industrial complex and puts special emphasis on the ban on the export of technologies for the production of drones.