Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said the package constitutes a strong and significant “gift” to Russia, whose three-day “special military operation” has now lasted four years. “Russia primarily finances its aggression through energy exports, and the 20th package also focuses on turning off those taps,” Tsahkna said. “Russia’s brazen and deliberate attacks against Ukrainian civilians and critical infrastructure reflect Putin’s fear, desperation and inability to achieve success on the battlefield,” he added. “This means we must further increase pressure on the aggressor and force it to end the war in Ukraine.”
The foreign minister stressed that the EU’s continued economic pressure on Russia remains a central element of support for Ukraine and will not be eased in the context of potential peace negotiations until Russia has returned to its internationally recognised borders.
The 20th sanctions package includes a number of robust measures. It provides for the possibility for the Council of the European Union to impose a full ban on maritime transport services related to Russian crude oil and petroleum products. A further 46 vessels from the shadow fleet will be added to the sanctions list, Russia’s ability to acquire tankers for its shadow fleet will be restricted, and services to Russian icebreakers and LNG tankers will be prohibited. Additional ports, financial institutions and crypto-asset service providers will be subject to transaction bans. Further export restrictions will be imposed on goods used to strengthen Russia’s military industry, alongside import restrictions on goods that generate significant revenue for Russia. The broadcasting ban will be extended to entities that continue to distribute content from sanctioned media outlets.
A further 60 companies will be added to the list of military end-users and entities involved in sanctions circumvention. For the first time, an anti-circumvention instrument will be introduced, allowing for the prohibition of exports of certain goods to third countries that re-export them to Russia. An additional 117 individuals will be added to the list of persons subject to sanctions, including entities in the oil, energy and defence sectors, as well as companies in third countries that help circumvent sanctions, supply goods to Russia’s military industry or enable the operation of the shadow fleet.
Measures against Belarus have also been tightened.
Tsahkna confirmed that work on the next, 21st sanctions package has already begun. “Russia is earning billions from high energy prices and from its ability to sell oil. The European Union must respond decisively and deploy all measures to limit Russia’s energy revenues, including a full ban on maritime services for Russian oil and petroleum products. We will not settle for half measures. Each new package strengthens our message: Ukraine is not alone, and Russia will not go unpunished.”
The agreed sanctions will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Additional information about sanctions is available on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
