At a meeting of foreign ministers of European Union (EU) countries in Luxembourg, an agreement was reached on the need to increase sanctions pressure against Russia.
This was stated by the head of European diplomacy, Kaya Kallas, at a press conference following the results of the meeting.
"The twentieth package of sanctions is long overdue. I hope we will be able to act quickly, given the new political momentum," she said.
Kallas also confirmed that in addition to accelerating the adoption of the 20th package of sanctions against Russia, the ministers have already proposed starting work on the 21st package.
She also said that the EU's approach to sanctions policy has changed. Instead of large packages adopted on rare occasions, Brussels has now moved to a more flexible model, for example, restrictions against Russia's "shadow fleet" are applied as new ships are discovered. In addition, the EU's top diplomat noted that additional measures are being adopted against individuals involved in disinformation campaigns within the bloc.
Kallas stressed that limiting Russia's energy revenues remains a key element of the strategy:
"What really affects the Russian economy are the measures against oil, because it is the main source of income to wage war (against Ukraine). In general, the EU intends not only to expand the sanctions lists, but also to return to previously blocked initiatives to intensify economic and political pressure on Moscow."
