More sanctions for Russia! After US, EU announces penalties for Russian oil; efforts to push Putin into peace talks
After United States, the European Union has also imposed sanctions on Russia, targeting the country’s oil industry in efforts to intensify international efforts to block the funds that Moscow depends on to sustain its invasion of Ukraine.Earlier on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump had announced sanctions on Russian oil firms.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the announcement, calling it a major step forward. “We waited for this. God bless, it will work. And this is very important,” he said in Brussels, where EU leaders unveiled the latest restrictions during a summit.
The conflict shows no sign of ending after more than three years of fighting, despite repeated US-led peace initiatives. European leaders remain concerned about the ongoing threat from Russia. Ukrainian forces have largely kept Russia’s larger army in check along a front stretching roughly 1,000 kilometres across eastern and southern Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russia continues long-range strikes on Ukraine’s power grid ahead of the winter, while Ukrainian forces target Russian refineries and industrial facilities.Energy exports are central to Russia’s economy, enabling President Putin to finance the military without triggering domestic inflation or a currency collapse.The EU sanctions focus on Russian oil and gas, the so-called “shadow fleet” of tankers evading previous restrictions, and Russia’s financial sector. A new system limiting the movement of Russian diplomats across the 27-nation bloc will also be introduced.Zelenskyy called on more countries to join the effort. “This is a good signal to other countries in the world to join the sanctions,” he told reporters.European and US officials have debated how to increase pressure on Moscow for months. The new measures took nearly a month to finalise. The EU has already imposed 18 sanction packages, though Moscow has consistently found ways to circumvent them.The US sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil came after Trump delayed a proposed meeting with Putin, describing it as a potential “waste of time.” Meanwhile, Putin conducted drills of Russia’s strategic nuclear forces on Wednesday, signalling the country’s continued military readiness.
