Key facts
- The EU approved its largest sanctions package against Russia since the invasion of Ukraine.
- The package adds 1,600 new listings targeting Russia's military-industrial complex.
- More than half of the new listings are connected to the production chain for ballistic missiles.
- EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas stated this is the single largest expansion of the sanctions list since the war began.
- The sanctions list will last for three years before renewal.
The European Union has approved its most extensive sanctions package against Russia since the start of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The bloc's foreign ministers approved the package during a meeting in Luxembourg, adding 1,600 new listings that target Russia's military-industrial complex, according to EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas.
Kallas stated on X that this is the single largest expansion of the sanctions list since Russia began its war, with more than half of the new listings connected to the production chain for ballistic missiles. The approval was a formality, as EU countries had already agreed on the sanctions list in earlier talks. The sanctions list will remain in effect for three years before requiring renewal. The new measures follow the removal of Russian businessmen Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the sanctions list last month after contentious discussions among EU capitals.