The EU sanctions were intended to make it more difficult for Russia to finance the war and starve of technical equipment and spare parts.
The European Union has passed a tenth package of sanctions against Russia to mark the one-year anniversary of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, EU officials said.
The latest round of sanctions provides for additional trade restrictions for Russia, the Swedish EU Council Presidency announced on Friday evening in Brussels and is intended to make financing the war more difficult and to starve Russia of technical equipment and spare parts for weapons in Ukraine.
The package includes tougher export restrictions on dual-use items, as well as measures against organizations supporting Russia’s war, including the dissemination of propaganda in support of the invasion and the supply of drones used by Russia to attack Ukraine.
“Together, EU member states have imposed the toughest and most far-reaching sanctions ever to help Ukraine win the war,” the EU Council Presidency said on Twitter.
“The EU stands united with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. We will support Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
Together, EU member states imposed the toughest and most far-reaching sanctions ever to help Ukraine win the war.
The EU stands united with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. We will continue to support Ukraine as long as it is necessary.
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— Swedish EU Presidency (@sweden2023eu) February 24, 2023
The measures are also expected to blacklist more people, including what the West calls Russian propagandists, those whom Kiev blames for deporting Ukrainian children to Russia, and those involved in the production of Iranian drones used on be used on the front lines of the war.
The package was also designed to cut off more Russian banks, including private Alfa Bank and online bank Tinkoff, from the global SWIFT system and cut EU-Russia trade by more than €10 billion (US$10.5 billion). dollars) to restrict the bloc’s executive branch.
Just two hours before midnight on Friday, EU member state negotiators made it across the finish line to agree on sanctions, after Poland earlier threw a wrench into the work.
Warsaw had said that the proposed restrictions on EU imports of Russian rubber include such a large quota of exempted imports and such long transitional periods that they would have no effect in practice.
Other EU countries were stunned that Warsaw – a leading Russian hawk in the bloc – risked no new sanctions being announced on the one-year anniversary of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, just over one element of a broader package.
All member states have to approve sanctions before they can be imposed, which often makes negotiations between the 27 arduous and lengthy.
“It’s very bad optics. What should be key here is a message of solidarity with Ukraine on this special day,” said a diplomat involved in the confidential negotiations between the 27 EU countries at the center of the Brussels bloc.
Earlier Friday, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal posed in front of four Polish-provided Leopard main battle tanks and posted a series of photos of them handed over as his embattled nation marked a year since the invasion began.
Shmyhal stood with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki for the images published on Telegram.
“A year ago, tanks went to Ukraine to deprive Ukrainians of their freedom,” Shmyhal said. “Today tanks also entered Ukraine, but to protect freedom.”
Poland hands over 14 Leopard A2 tanks to Ukraine. Morawiecki also said 60 PT-91 main battle tanks would be made available after being promised in January.
The PT-91 Twardy is a Polish combat vehicle based on the Soviet T-72 tank, but further developed and modernized.
Earlier, Poland’s Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak announced that Ukrainian soldiers would be trained by Polish, Canadian and Norwegian instructors at the Leopard Training Center in western Poland.