EU Leaders Greenlight 9th Sanctions Package Against Russia

On Friday, the European Union (EU) approved a new package of sanctions against Russia and 18 billion euros that will be transferred to Ukraine to meet its most urgent financial needs.

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Previously, the European Council (EC) had discussed how to further increase collective pressure on Russia to end its military operation and to withdraw its troops from Ukraine.

The new package "responds to Russia's continued escalation and illegal war against Ukraine, in particular as Russia is deliberately targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, seeking to paralyse the country at the beginning of the winter," the EC said.

"Today's package comes on top of the full EU import ban on Russian seaborne crude oil, and of the global oil price cap agreed with G7 partners, both of which apply from Dec. 5," it added.

Among the new sanctions are restrictions on the export of sensitive dual-use and advanced technologies that could help improve Russian military capabilities.

This measure covers drone engines, camouflage equipment, chemical or biological equipment, and electronic components.

The European Council also underlined the importance of ensuring an effective implementation of the new sanctions to prevent Russians from being able to circumvent the measures.

This retaliatory package was approved after Spain, France, Germany and Italy demanded to mitigate the impact that previous sanctions packages were having on global food security. Over the last week, such a possibility was rejected by Poland and the Baltic countries.

Nevertheless, "we have found the path of firmness to help Ukraine, put pressure on the Kremlin's war machine and at the same time guarantee food security," the EC president Charles Michel said.