New EU sanctions on Russia ‘unprecedented’
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Ukraine-Russia war latest: Macron says new package of EU sanctions on Moscow is ‘unprecedented’
The EU’s 18th sanctions package targets Moscow’s oil and gas industry. French pesident Emmanuel Macron said the package was ‘unprecedented’ Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia has built a certain immunity to Western sanctions. Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky are considering a deal that involves Washington buying battlefield-tested Ukrainian drones in exchange for Kyiv purchasing weapons from the US.
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Kyiv’s European allies have welcomed the EU’s 18th sanctions package targeting Moscow’s oil and gas industry over its war in Ukraine.
French pesident Emmanuel Macron said the package was “unprecedented” in a post on X. “It is more necessary than ever to recall that the security, freedom, and future of Europe are closely tied to the fate of Ukraine,” Macron added.
When asked about the sanctions, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia has built a certain immunity to Western sanctions and adapted to them.
Peskov called the sanctions illegal, saying every new restriction created negative consequences for those countries that backed them.
Its latest sanctions package on Russia will lower the G7’s price cap for crude oil to $47.6 per barrel, diplomats told Reuters today.
This comes as Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky are considering a deal that involves Washington buying battlefield-tested Ukrainian drones in exchange for Kyiv purchasing weapons from the US.
The Ukrainian president said his latest talks with Mr Trump focused on a deal that would help each country bolster its aerial technology.
On the battlefront, Russia said its troops have taken control of three villages in three different parts of the frontline running through Ukraine, a claim Kyiv denies.
EU, U.K. Target Russia With ‘Unprecedented’ Wartime Sanctions Package
The European Union issued one of its toughest rounds of wartime sanctions against Russia on Friday. In conjunction with the United Kingdom, the sanctions package targets Russia’s energy and banking sectors; shadow fleet of aging oil tankers; and military intelligence service, known as the GRU, among others. The sanctions will also block 105 more ships from accessing European ports, locks, and ship-to-ship transfers, bringing the total number of sanctioned vessels to more than 400. “The message is clear: Europe will not back down in its support for Ukraine,” EU foreign-policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Friday, adding that “the EU will keep raising the pressure until Russia ends its war.” The sanctions announcement comes just days after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose his own “very severe” tariffs on Russia”s trading partners if the Kremlin does not agree to a peace deal with Kyiv within 50 days. The renewed conflict comes one day after Syrian security forces withdrew part of conditions outlined in a cease-fire deal.
Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at heavy European sanctions against Russia , renewed sectarian violence in Syria , and U.S. President Donald Trump approving massive foreign aid cuts.
Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at heavy European sanctions against Russia, renewed sectarian violence in Syria, and U.S. President Donald Trump approving massive foreign aid cuts.
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Stemming Moscow’s War Chest
The European Union issued one of its toughest rounds of wartime sanctions against Russia on Friday, fulfilling a monthslong promise in an effort to force Moscow to agree to a peace deal with Ukraine. In conjunction with the United Kingdom, the sanctions package targets Russia’s energy and banking sectors; shadow fleet of aging oil tankers; and military intelligence service, known as the GRU, among others.
“The U.K. and its EU allies are turning the screw on the Kremlin’s war chest by stemming the most valuable funding stream of its illegal war in Ukraine even further,” British Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said on Friday.
As part of the sanctions package, Europe will target Russian oil exports, which are key to financing Moscow’s war machine. Beginning early September, the price cap on Russian oil will decrease for the first time from $60 to $47.60 per barrel, lower than current market price. The sanctions will also block 105 more ships from accessing European ports, locks, and ship-to-ship transfers, bringing the total number of sanctioned vessels to more than 400. And it will aim to restrict any efforts to revive the now-destroyed Nord Stream pipelines carrying Russian gas to Europe.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky championed the new measures as “timely and necessary,” particularly given Russia’s intensified aerial strikes on Ukraine in recent weeks. And he vowed to synchronize Kyiv’s own sanctions against Moscow with the rest of Europe’s. But the Kremlin was quick to brush off the measures. “We consider such unilateral restrictions unlawful,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
This is the 18th round of EU sanctions against Russia since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with the last raft of measures, imposed on May 20, targeting almost 200 ships in Russia’s shadow fleet. “The message is clear: Europe will not back down in its support for Ukraine,” EU foreign-policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Friday. “The EU will keep raising the pressure until Russia ends its war.”
However, with each new round of sanctions, consensus among EU member states is becoming harder to achieve. Slovakia stalled the latest round of sanctions for weeks, citing concerns about proposals to stop Russian gas supplies, which Bratislava is reliant on. Ultimately, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico dropped the country’s veto after reportedly receiving “guarantees” that the EU would help contain the fallout of reducing Russian gas.
Friday’s sanction announcement comes just days after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose his own “very severe” tariffs on Russia’s trading partners if the Kremlin does not agree to a peace deal with Kyiv within 50 days. These 100 percent “secondary tariffs” would target nations that purchase Russian exports, particularly India and China, the two main buyers of Russian oil.
Today’s Most Read
What We’re Following
Renewed sectarian violence. Fighting reignited between Syria’s Druze religious minority and Bedouin tribes on Friday in the southern Syrian province of Suwayda. The renewed conflict comes just one day after Syrian security forces withdrew from the area as part of conditions outlined under a Wednesday cease-fire deal. The country’s Interior Ministry has denied reports that state forces have returned to Suwayda.
Deadly clashes first erupted between Druze and Bedouin fighters on Sunday; the two sides have a long history of animosity. However, the conflict escalated when Syrian forces deployed to Suwayda to try to quell the violence, with state troops instead joining the fray. On Wednesday, Israel (which has its own significant Druze population) launched strikes at Damascus’s government and military infrastructure to urge Syrian forces to leave the area, and within hours, Syrian and Druze leaders had struck a cease-fire deal to prevent further devastation.
With renewed fighting, though, the death toll in Suwayda is expected to rise. Already, more than 300 people have been killed and at least 570 others wounded since clashes began on Sunday, according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights and Syrian Emergency Response Minister Raed al-Saleh.
U.S. foreign aid cuts. Trump issued his final stamp of approval on Friday for legislation that will cut nearly $8 billion in foreign aid and around $1.1 billion for public broadcasting. “THIS IS BIG!!!” Trump posted on Truth Social prior to the signing, with House Speaker Mike Johnson adding, “This isn’t the end, it’s the beginning.”
After getting through the Senate by a 51-48 vote on Thursday, the House of Representatives passed the legislation early Friday largely along party lines, marking the first time in decades that the White House has successfully submitted such a rescissions request.
Among the foreign aid cuts, the bill will slash $4.15 billion for efforts to boost economies and democratic institutions in developing nations; $800 million for a program that provides shelter, water, and family reunification for refugees; and $496 million for food, water, and health care services for countries hit by natural disasters and conflicts.
The Trump administration has argued that the cuts will help incentivize other nations to shoulder more of the responsibility for responding to humanitarian crises, relieving the American taxpayer. But Democratic lawmakers maintain that the ensuing power vacuum will bolster U.S. adversaries’ influence in the global south. “This is not an America first bill. It’s a China first bill because of the void that’s being created all across the world,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said.
Meanwhile, rights activists warned that the legislation will further hurt those suffering from poverty and conflict. “These canceled resources would have been a lifeline to the most vulnerable and served as a bulwark against instability in fragile places,” said Kate Phillips-Barrasso, the vice president of global policy and advocacy at Mercy Corps.
Strategic military victory. Myanmar’s military, known as the Tatmadaw, recaptured a strategic town from rebel forces on Wednesday, state media reported on Thursday. The town of Nawnghkio sits on a major highway trading route that links central Myanmar to China and was initially seized last July by the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), a militant group in the Three Brotherhood Alliance. The Three Brotherhood Alliance is loosely allied with the People’s Defense Force, a pro-democracy organization that opposes Myanmar’s military dictatorship, which seized power in February 2021.
Throughout much of Myanmar’s yearslong civil war, the Tatmadaw has fought on the defensive against the country’s many ethnic rebel groups. However, this week’s military victory—culminating a nearly 11-month operation—marked a rare shift in the country’s northeast region, which militant forces have largely controlled since late 2023.
According to local media, state forces are now removing land mines, restoring local government institutions, and seizing the rebels’ ammunition supplies. At least 171 members of the TNLA and its allies were killed in the fighting.
What in the World?
What did Brazilian authorities order former President Jair Bolsonaro to do on Friday?
A. Turn over all social media accounts
B. Wear an ankle monitor
C. Move out of the country
D. Resign from his role in the Liberal Party
Odds and Ends
A new K-pop group is joining the music scene. Meet 1VERSE, pronounced “universe,” which launched their global debut on Friday with their first EP, The 1st Verse, featuring three tracks. The five-member boy band includes two North Korean defectors who composed a song, titled “Shattered,” about the consequences of escaping one of the world’s most authoritarian countries.
And the Answer Is…
B. Wear an ankle monitor
Trump threatened a 50 percent tariff on Brazilian goods if Bolsonaro’s criminal case is not dropped—a move that could backfire for Brazilian conservatives and the former president, Andre Pagliarini argues.
To take the rest of FP’s weekly international news quiz, click here, or sign up to be alerted when a new one is published.
How the EU aims to put the squeeze on the Russian economy with new sanctions package
Key measures include a lower oil price cap, and a full ban on Russian bank deals. We are striking at the heart of Russia’s war machine,” EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said in a post on X-Men. “The pressure is on. It will stay on until Putin ends this war in Ukraine.” “We are going to make it harder to fund the war without disrupting the war.’ ““ “ ” ‘“We’re not going to stop. We’ve got a war to win’”. � “I’m just going to keep going’. ”“”” “I don’t want to stop, I just want to get to the bottom of it’.” “What do you think?” I asked. ‘What do I do?’ ”You’ll have to guess,’ I said.“You can do it!”
The European Union’s 18th sanctions package against Russia over its war in Ukraine targets Moscow’s energy and financial sectors to limit its ability to fund war in Ukraine.
Key measures include a lower oil price cap, Nord Stream transaction ban, more shadow fleet sanctions, and a full ban on Russian bank deals.
“We are striking at the heart of Russia’s war machine,” EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said in a post on X.
“The pressure is on. It will stay on until Putin ends this war.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin chose to invade Ukraine in February 2022 (AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin chose to invade Ukraine in February 2022 (AP)
The measures are intended to ramp up pressure on Russia amid flagging peace negotiations, as well as targeting companies and countries that allow Moscow to evade existing sanctions.
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They were approved on Friday after weeks of delay caused by repeated Slovakian and Maltese vetoes over natural gas and shipping respectively.
Here, The Independent looks at the key measures and their potential impact on the Russian economy.
Lower oil price cap
The EU will impose a moving price cap on Russian crude at 15 percent below its average market price, EU diplomats said.
At present this sets the cap at about $47.60 per barrel, well below the $60 maximum that the G7 have tried to impose since December 2022. A fall in oil futures made the $60 cap largely symbolic.
The cap bans trade of Russian crude above the set maximum, prohibiting shipping, insurance and reinsurance companies from handling tankers carrying it.
It is designed to limit Moscow’s crude revenues, the cornerstone of its war coffers and economy, to make it harder to fund the war without disrupting the global oil market by cutting off supply entirely.
File: Shadow fleet of older oil tankers transport Russian oil and evade sanctions (Lehtikuva)
File: Shadow fleet of older oil tankers transport Russian oil and evade sanctions (Lehtikuva)
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The EU has limited powers to enforce the measure due to US resistance. Oil is largely traded in dollars with payment clearing controlled by US banks.
So far Russia has been able to sell most of its oil as the current mechanism does not specify who should police its implementation.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Turkey and India have also both continued to import Russian oil and refine it into products which are sent on to the EU.
The EU will no longer import any petroleum products made from Russian crude, although the ban will not apply to imports from Norway, Britain, the US, Canada and Switzerland, EU diplomats said.
Shadow fleet
A further 105 vessels have been banned from accessing EU ports and locks, and undertaking ship-to-ship transfers of oils.
The measure aims to shut down the so-called shadow fleet of older oil tankers transporting Russian oil and evading sanctions.
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The rise of a vast shadow fleet has been helping Moscow maintain its crude exports, keeping revenue flowing.
The EU has now sanctioned more than 400 shadow fleet ships.
File: Pipes at the landfall facilities of the ruptured Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline (REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke)
File: Pipes at the landfall facilities of the ruptured Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline (REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke)
Nord Stream gas pipelines ban
Transactions related to Russia’s Nord Stream gas pipelines will be banned, including any provisions of goods or services to these projects.
A network of natural gas pipelines run under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany and were thought to represent Berlin’s over-reliance on Moscow for energy.
They were disabled after 2022 explosions damaged three of them.
But reports in the Financial Times in March suggested that Kremlin-linked Russian and US business people were seeking their reactivation.
Financial sector
A full ban on all transactions with Russian financial institutions – already excluded from the Swift interbank messaging system – will come into place.
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The ban extends to transactions with Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), and its investments.
The move aims to further restrict Russia’s access to international financial markets and foreign currency.
The EU also lowered the threshold for slapping sanctions on international financial and credit institutions which circumvent sanctions or support Russia’s war effort. For example, by circumventing the oil price cap.
“We are putting more pressure on Russia’s military industry, Chinese banks that enables sanctions evasion, and blocking tech exports used in drones,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in a post on X, without providing further details or names.
When asked about the sanctions, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia has built up a certain “immunity” to Western sanctions and adapted to them.
Peskov called the sanctions illegal, saying every new restriction created negative consequences for those countries that backed them.
Additional reporting by Reuters.