The European Commission has put forward its proposal for the 18th package of sanctions against Russia, primarily targeting Russia’s energy revenues and arms industry. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the new punitive measures aim to increase pressure on Russia, stating in Brussels that “force is the only language Moscow understands.”
The EU, G7 nations, and Australia agreed in December 2022 on a price cap for Russian oil to curb Moscow’s energy export revenues. With this new price reduction, the Commission intends to respond to changing market conditions. Von der Leyen explained that the proposed reduction of the oil price cap from $60 to $45 per barrel will be discussed at the G7 summit next week in Alberta, Canada, expressing “great confidence that we will achieve this goal.”
The proposal also includes adding 77 more vessels from Russia’s “ghost fleet” and oil trading companies to the sanctions list. Additionally, 22 more Russian banks will face sanctions.
Von der Leyen outlined other measures, such as new export bans on machinery, metals, plastics, and chemicals, as well as dual-use goods and technologies “that can be used to produce drones, missiles, and other weapon systems.” This follows stronger actions taken by EU member states in their last sanctions package against Russia’s “ghost fleet” used for transporting oil and oil products, and the inclusion of dozens of companies involved in sanctions circumvention or supporting the Russian arms industry.
Merz Condemns Recent Russian Attacks on Ukraine
In recent days, Ukraine has faced a wave of attacks on its cities, most recently on Tuesday. According to authorities, at least two people were killed in the southern port city of Odesa, and four were wounded in attacks on the capital, Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on Thursday that this was one of the largest attacks against Kyiv to date. Besides Odesa, the Dnipro and Chernihiv regions were also affected.
German Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) accused Russia of “most severe war crimes” in light of the latest attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. Merz stated in a joint press conference with Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof that Russia has “targeted and mercilessly” attacked Ukraine’s civilian population in recent days with numerous drones and missiles. He added that Russia’s massive attacks constitute “terror against the civilian population” and are “anything but a proportionate response” to Ukraine’s “very targeted” attacks against Russian military airports.
