'Targeted shadow fleet for first time': EU announces major ops against Russia, unveils fresh sanctions

The European Union on Thursday approved its 21st package of sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine, retaining the existing oil price cap for another year while expanding restrictions on banks, crypto firms and, for the first time, vessels linked to Moscow's "shadow fleet". European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said the measures would "continue to weaken the economic foundations of Russia's war effort".Announcing the agreement in a post on X, von der Leyen said, "I welcome the agreement on the 21st sanctions package against Russia." She added, "At a time when Ukraine has built military momentum, our sanctions continue to weaken the economic foundations of Russia's war effort."The package, agreed after weeks of negotiations among the EU's 27 member states, targets Russia's energy, financial and trade sectors while keeping the current oil price cap in place for the next 12 months to prevent Moscow from benefiting from volatility in global oil markets.Detailing the measures, von der Leyen wrote: "We're adding 32 more Russian banks to our transaction ban list. As well as crypto firms and oil trading platforms." She also said the bloc was "freezing the oil price cap adjustment for a year, so that the Russian war machine does not benefit from market shocks."The Commission chief said the EU was broadening its enforcement measures against Russia's oil exports. "For the first time, we're targeting vessels assisting Russia's shadow fleet," she said. She also announced progress on immigration restrictions, adding, "We took an important step towards formally banning Russian combatants from entering the EU."European Council president Antonio Costa also welcomed the agreement, saying on social media, in a post he wrote, "Our 21st sanctions package targets the sectors with the highest impact: energy, financial services, crypto, and trade." He added, "Our support for Ukraine and for a just and sustainable peace remains unwavering."According to the diplomats cited by news agency AFP, the agreement was finalised after Greece secured an exemption allowing its shipping companies to continue transporting Russian liquefied natural gas from the Arctic. Several other proposals were either diluted or dropped during negotiations.Bulgaria blocked the inclusion of Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill on the sanctions list, while Portugal and France opposed a proposed ban on imports of Russian cod and Alaskan pollock. A proposed blanket visa ban on Russians who fought in Ukraine was also deferred, with member states agreeing only to continue discussions on the issue.The sanctions package comes as diplomatic efforts over the Ukraine conflict continue. US ssecretary of state Marco Rubio met Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations foreign ministers' meeting (Asean) in Manila on Thursday. According to the US state department, the two discussed "the US-Russia relationship and the need to end the Russia-Ukraine war."Russia's foreign ministry said Lavrov stressed "the unacceptability of further arming" Ukraine and criticised "the destabilising policies of European countries, which continue to seek a strategic defeat" for Russia.