BRUSSELS: The European Union (EU) on Thursday formally adopted its 19th package of sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine, introducing a ban on Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports and fresh restrictions on financial and trade activities.
The 27-member bloc approved the package after Slovakia lifted its objection late Wednesday, paving the way for new measures aimed at cutting off key Russian revenue streams.
“This is a significant package that targets main Russian revenue sources through new energy, financial, and trade measures,” the Danish rotating presidency of the EU said in a statement.
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Under the new sanctions, the LNG ban will be implemented in two phases — short-term contracts will end after six months, while long-term contracts will cease from January 1, 2027, marking a full ban one year ahead of the European Commission’s original plan to phase out Russian fossil fuels.
The package also introduces a mechanism to restrict the movement of Russian diplomats within the EU to counter what officials called “attempts at destabilisation.”
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“It targets Russian banks, crypto exchanges, and entities in India and China, among others,” said EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas in a post on X. “It is increasingly harder for Putin to fund this war.”
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen hailed the move as a crucial step toward the complete phase-out of Russian energy in Europe.