Russia escalates war against Ukraine: EU presents further planned sanctions

Brussels - The EU Commission has presented a proposal for a further package of sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (63).
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (63).  © Philipp von Ditfurth/dpa

The package includes the legal basis for a price cap on oil imports from Russia as well as further import restrictions worth seven billion euros, said Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (63) in Brussels on Wednesday. The EU states must now negotiate the proposal and decide on it unanimously.

The proposal for new punitive measures is also a reaction to Russia's partial mobilization in the war against Ukraine and the sham referendums in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories.

"In the past week, Russia has taken a further step towards escalation in its war of aggression against Ukraine," said von der Leyen. "We do not accept the sham referendums or any kind of annexation in Ukraine."

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell (75) called on the international community not to recognize the votes either.

The EU itself has already decided that no more Russian crude oil may be imported into the European Union by sea from December 5. In addition, the G7 group of economically strong democracies agreed in principle on a price cap for Russian oil, which should also apply to third countries.

The aim is for Russia to earn less from its oil worldwide. The aim is to force Moscow to sell oil to large customers such as India at a significantly lower price in future.

Oil price cap to keep energy markets stable

A woman casts her vote in Luhansk under the watchful eye of a gunman. A vote on joining Russia took place in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, which was internationally criticized as a breach of international law.
A woman casts her vote in Luhansk under the watchful eye of a gunman. A vote on joining Russia took place in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, which was internationally criticized as a breach of international law.  © Uncredited/AP/dpa

According to the G7 plans, the sea transportation of oil products and crude oil from Russia should only be possible worldwide if the oil has been purchased below a certain price. There is as yet no concrete limit for this. This could work by linking important services such as insurance for oil transports to compliance with the rule.

"On the one hand, this oil price cap will help to reduce Russia's revenues and, on the other, it will keep the global energy markets stable," said von der Leyen. Countries such as Hungary, Cyprus and Greece had recently resisted such a price cap. Cyprus and Greece have large tanker fleets that transport oil.

According to von der Leyen, the other sanctions proposed on Wednesday also include a ban on EU citizens taking seats on the management boards of Russian state-owned companies. Berlin, in particular, had campaigned for this after former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (78, SPD) had long been chairman of the supervisory board of the Russian oil company Rosneft.

The EU Commission also wants to ban the export of certain key technologies to Russia. These include "products for aviation, electronic components and special chemical raw materials", said von der Leyen.

Entry bans and asset freezes

In future, EU citizens are to be banned from taking seats on the management boards of Russian state-owned companies, as former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (78, SPD) has done.
In future, EU citizens are to be banned from taking seats on the management boards of Russian state-owned companies, as former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (78, SPD) has done.  © Kay Nietfeld/dpa

In order to make it more difficult to circumvent sanctions, a list of people who have already attempted to do so is also to be introduced. This will have a deterrent effect, said von der Leyen. Other individuals are also to be subject to entry bans and asset freezes.

According to Borrell, this should affect representatives of Russian authorities in the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya regions, for example, who helped to carry out the sham referendums. In addition, high-ranking employees of the Russian Ministry of Defense should be added to the sanctions list.

On Tuesday, the occupation administrations appointed by Moscow in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions had spoken of strong support for joining Russia following the referendums, which were criticized as a breach of international law.

The sham referendums, which were held for a total of five days last Friday amid widespread international protest, are not recognized worldwide because they were held in violation of Ukrainian and international laws and without minimum democratic standards.