EU proposes fresh sanctions on Russia

The European Commission has proposed a 19th package of sanctions against Russia, which includes a ban on the import of Russian liquefied natural gas into the European market as of 1 January, 2027. 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reiterated her belief on Friday that Russia's war economy is being sustained by revenues from the sale of oil and natural gas and that the sanctions will limit Russia's ability to finance its military effort.

"We will continue to use all the tools at our disposal to bring this brutal war to an end. I now call on all member states to quickly endorse these new sanctions as soon as possible. We want Russia to leave the battlefield and come to the negotiating table, and that is the way to give peace a real chance," said von der Leyen.

The new sanctions would also include penalties for 118 more ships from Russia's so-called shadow fleet. It also proposes a complete ban on doing business with Russian energy trading companies Rosneft and Gazprom Neft, as well as sanctions against refineries, oil traders, petrochemical companies and third countries that support Russia by buying oil and violating the unilaterally imposed western sanctions, namely China and India.