The European Union has started discussing the 13th package of sanctions against Russia. They want to approve it by February 24, the second anniversary of Russiaʼs invasion of Ukraine.
Bloomberg writes about this, citing sources.
The package will include expanding sanctions lists, strengthening trade restrictions and combating Russiaʼs ongoing attempts to circumvent sanctions both through third countries and through companies in the EU. Possible sanctions were discussed on January 17 at a meeting of ambassadors of EU member states, where member states negotiated how best to support Kyiv in the long term. But agreeing on a 13th package of sanctions by next month will not be easy, as the previous package required weeks of negotiations.
Discussions continue over plans to create a new fund to support Ukraineʼs military — some EU countries want to use it as a way to modernize the current funding mechanism known as the European Peace Fund. Within the framework of the EMF, EU member states receive compensation for the weapons they send to Ukraine.
The EUʼs foreign policy service proposed giving the fund an annual budget of around €5 billion, but was unable to reach a consensus among member states. According to interlocutors of the publication, officials will soon present a new document with proposals to the member states. According to the ambassadors of some countries, in particular Germany, the EFM in its current form is not very effective, because more and more arms deliveries are made at the expense of newly purchased weapons, and not from existing stocks.