The Council of the European Union approved the eleventh package of sanctions against Russia. It should tighten restrictions and fight sanctions evasion.
The new package includes a mechanism that will limit the sale and transfer of technology and dual-use products to other countries, helping the Russian Federation to circumvent current restrictions. For example, the EU has decided to ban the transit through Russian territory of a greater number of goods and technologies than before, which can strengthen the military sector.
The Council of the EU also prohibited access to EU ports and gateways to any vessels carrying out ship-to-ship transshipment, if there is reason to suspect that the vessel either violates the ban on the import of Russian crude oil and petroleum products by sea transport to the EU, or transports the above-mentioned, purchased at a price higher than the limited price.
This ban will also apply to vessels that disable their navigation system during the transportation of oil and petroleum products from the Russian Federation.
The package, in particular, will include sanctions against 87 companies from around the world that supply sanctioned goods to Russia from the EU through third countries and support the Russian military-industrial complex. Among them are four Iranian companies that produce drones for the Russian Federation.
"Todayʼs package increases our pressure on Russia and Putinʼs war machine," EU High Representative Josep Borrell stated.
This should affect Russiaʼs military industry and its ability to produce missiles. The head of the Presidentʼs Office Andriy Yermak noted that thanks to this package, it will become unprofitable to help Russians circumvent sanctions.
- At the beginning of June, it became known that the United States identified five countries that help circumvent sanctions by Russia: Turkey, Kazakhstan, Georgia, the United Arab Emirates, and Armenia.
- The eleventh package of sanctions against Russia aims to eliminate sanctions loopholes. Also in it, the European Commission proposes to prohibit ships trying to circumvent sanctions on Russian oil from entering European ports, and to punish those involved in the export of cultural values from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.