The package, the 19th in order, was presented a month ago but has been blocked by Slovakia until now. The knot is expected to be solved and a written procedure is now being initiated.
If no objections are raised, the package will be finalized at 8 o'clock, just in time for the start of Thursday's summit for EU heads of state and government in Brussels – where further EU support to Ukraine will be discussed.
The EU countries want to use the package to turn off the tap for Russian gas, a phase-out that the Commission wants to implement as early as January 1, 2027.
Shadow fleet target
The sanctions package also includes measures against a further 117 vessels suspected of belonging to the so-called shadow fleet, among other things, they will not be allowed to dock in EU ports. A total of 558 vessels are thus subject to sanctions.
The EU Commission is also taking action against more Russian banks, cryptocurrency handling and more companies in other countries – not least in China – which are believed to be helping Russia to circumvent sanctions.
Russian diplomats will also find it more difficult to travel within the EU, and sanctions against providing Russia with AI services will be tightened.
USA imposes sanctions on oil companies
The USA has also announced new sanctions, targeting Russia's two largest oil companies – Rosneft and Lukoil – which, according to the USA, "finance the Kremlin's war machine”.
"It's time to stop the killing and get an immediate ceasefire," says Finance Minister Scott Bessent in a press release from the Finance Department.
President Trump has recently refrained from new sanctions and instead hoped for an agreement with Vladimir Putin. A planned meeting between the presidents has been cancelled and the USA's tone against Russia has been sharpened and Bessent continues the press release by threatening further steps to put an end to the war.
