Russiaupdated 1h ago3 min read
EU Foreign Ministers Adopt Nearly 1,600 Sanctions Listings Targeting Russia’s Military-Industrial Complex
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
EU foreign ministers approved nearly 1,600 sanctions listings targeting Russia's military-industrial complex. This expansion is described as the largest single expansion of sanctions since the war began.
18 outlets told this the same way.
EU expands Russia sanctions
EU foreign ministers adopted nearly 1,600 new sanctions listings targeting Russia’s military-industrial complex, and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas described the decision as the "single largest expansion" of the bloc’s sanctions list since the war in Ukraine began in February 2022.
“More than half are connected to the production chain for ballistic missiles.”
Kaja Kallas said, "More than half are connected to the production chain for ballistic missiles," as the EU Council also extended its sanctions framework targeting the proliferation and use of chemical weapons for five years, until Oct. 30, 2031.
The EU Council said the restrictive measures currently apply to 31 individuals and six entities under the chemical weapons framework, with asset freezes and travel bans applying to those listed.
The EU also extended the validity of individual sanctions listings under that chemical weapons framework for one year, until Oct. 30, 2027, while EU citizens and companies were prohibited from making funds or economic resources available to those listed.
Kaja Kallas framed the new listings as a way to make it "significantly harder, slower and more expensive for Russia to produce the weapons it uses to kill Ukrainians," in a statement carried through US social media company X.
Germany links sanctions to war
German Foreign Minister Yohan Fadivol said the new European sanctions increase the difficulty of continuing Russian President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine. Fadivol said the European Union added to its sanctions list "a number of individuals and companies never seen before — totaling more than 1600," and he said almost all of them play a direct or indirect role in the Russian war efforts. Diplomats said EU envoys last week agreed to add 1646 new names to the sanctions list imposed on Russia, most of which target the country's military-industrial complex.
Kaja Kallas told EU foreign ministers in Brussels that the EU would "welcome the energy truce if it endures" and said, "We have not yet seen Russia commit to it." Kaja Kallas also said, "We haven't yet seen that also Russia will stick to it," while questioning whether any ceasefire would include "people not being killed, not only energy."
Sanctions, totals, and enforcement
The EU’s new package added 1,569 individuals and entities, including 826 Russian companies and 743 individuals serving as CEOs, and it brought the total number of listings under the sanctions regime supporting Ukraine’s territorial integrity to close to 4,600. The EU NEIGHBOURS east page said the listings target mid-level suppliers that represent the “core” of the Russian military industry, generating an annual turnover of at least €20 billion and employing more than 250,000 people. The same page said the listed companies are suppliers of key components for advanced weapons systems, including missiles, UAVs and aircraft, and it listed electronics, communication equipment, and explosives and ammunition among the targeted component categories.
Kaja Kallas said, "Europe is again showing a united front," after the Twenty-Seven adopted the decision during the Foreign Affairs Council held in Luxembourg. The EU NEIGHBOURS east page said those listed are subject to an asset freeze and a travel ban to the EU, while the provision of funds or economic resources to them or for their benefit is prohibited.