EU Agrees on 13th Package of Sanctions Against Russia

The new package of sanctions is timed to coincide with the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The European Union has adopted a new, 13th package of sanctions against Russia for its armed attack on Ukraine at the ambassadorial level. This was announced on Wednesday, 21 February, by Belgium, which currently holds the presidency of the EU Council. “EU ambassadors have just agreed on the 13th package of sanctions under the [sanctions regime] for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine,” Belgium’s representation to the European Union wrote on social network X. The package is timed to coincide with the tragic anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and is described as one of the most massive. After approval at ambassadorial level, the law will go through a written procedure and will be officially approved by 24 February, according to Brussels. What is included in the new sanctions package EU sources told DW that the new sanctions list will include about 200 individuals and legal entities. The main objective of this package is to prevent third countries and companies from circumventing the sanctions. In particular, it focuses on supply chains of components for drones, which end up in the Russian military complex and then on the battlefield in Ukraine. Several Russian companies and firms from third countries, including China and Turkey, will fall under the sanctions. According to the AFP news agency, the draft penalties included restrictions on the export of products of three Chinese companies for supplying the Russian army, as well as the inclusion of the DPRK defense minister in the blacklist for supplying missiles to Russia. Earlier, the European Union extended for a year the existing sanctions against Russia.