The EU wants to speed up the preparation of the 21st package of sanctions against Russia
European Union leaders are insisting on actively pushing forward with preparations for the 21st package of sanctions against Russia.
This was stated by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas ahead of the second day of the informal summit of EU heads of state and government in Cyprus.
“Good news for Ukraine: we have resolved the issue of the €90 billion loan and adopted the 20th package of sanctions. Now, of course, we also need to review the former ‘red lines’ that blocked certain sanctions and consider what can be done,” she noted.
According to Kallas, European leaders “truly insisted on moving forward with the 21st sanctions package,” which signals the EU’s intention to increase pressure on Moscow.
“This sends a clear signal to Russia that they won’t last longer than we do, and it is also a clear message to Russia that Ukraine is more important to us... and that we will continue to support it,” the EU representative emphasized.
On April 23, EU member states approved the 20th package of sanctions against Russia, which imposes restrictions on 46 vessels of the “shadow fleet” and 60 entities supporting the Russian military-industrial complex. The new measures include stricter export restrictions on dual-use goods and sanctions against 20 credit and financial institutions.
The European Union unanimously approved a €90 billion loan for Ukraine and imposed the 20th package of sanctions against Russia due to its armed aggression. Disbursement of the loan will begin shortly to meet the Ukrainian state’s most urgent budgetary needs.
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna announced the start of work on the next package of EU sanctions against Russia immediately after the approval of the 20th sanctions list. The Estonian side insists on completely cutting off the sources of funding for the aggression by imposing a ban on maritime oil transport services.
