EU agrees new sanctions on Russia for invasion of Ukraine – DW – 02/21/2024

The European union (EU) reached a political agreement this Wednesday (02/21/2024) to impose a new round of economic sanctions against RussiaIt was the thirteenth since the invasion Ukraine It will be formally ratified on February 24, 2022, the second anniversary of that conflict.

The Belgian President of the Council of the European Union called the set of sanctions “one of the largest ever authorized” by the social network X. EU”.

In total, the new sanctions affect about 200 people and companies, mostly from Russia.

In a message on the X Network, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, praised the agreement between the bloc's 27 countries. “We must continue to degrade the war machine [Vladimir] Putin,” he noted.

Von der Leyen said the EU was moving to “further reduce Russia's access to drones”.

About 2,000 people are already on the sanctions list for Russia's war against Ukraine with this new package, the official added.

The deal on new sanctions comes just days before the second anniversary of the start of the Russian offensive against Ukrainian territory.

The draft agreement, which AFP has access to, includes restrictions on trade between EU companies and three Chinese companies that have supplied weapons to the Russian military.

The three Chinese companies are among the first Asian firms to be hit by European sanctions against Russia, and have been included in the list for their role in supplying military technology to Russian forces.

The draft agreement allowed companies based in Turkey and India to evade sanctions outlined in previous packages for helping Russia.

The package also includes North Korean Defense Minister Kang Sun-nam on the sanctions list for supplying Russia with ballistic missiles.

Despite several sanctions already adopted by the European Union, Russia's economy has shown resilience and increased the pace of its military production.

CP (efe, afp, dpa)