BRUSSELS, Feb 25 (Reuters) – The European Union vowed to increase pressure on Moscow “until Ukraine is liberated” as it adopted a tenth package of sanctions on Russia on Saturday, a day after the first anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine.
“We now have the most far-reaching sanctions ever – depleting Russia’s war arsenal and biting deep into its economy,” European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Twitter, adding the bloc was turning up the pressure on those trying to circumvent EU sanctions.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned the bloc would continue to pile more sanctions on Moscow.
“We will continue to increase pressure on Russia – and we will do it for as long as needed, until Ukraine is liberated from the brutal Russian aggression,” he said in a statement.
Borrell said the latest sanctions tackled the banking sector, Moscow’s access to technology that can be used for civilian and military purposes and advanced technologies.
Latest Updates
View 2 more stories
The package adds electronic components used in Russian weapons systems retrieved on the battlefield, including drones, missiles, helicopters, as well as specific rare earth materials, electronic integrated circuits, and thermal cameras to the list of banned exports.
It also imposes tighter export restrictions on another 96 entities for supporting Russia’s military and industrial complex, including for the first time seven Iranian entities manufacturing military drones used by Moscow.
Additional restrictions are imposed on imports of goods which generate significant revenues for Russia, such as asphalt and synthetic rubber.
Separately, the EU imposed sanctions on 11 individuals and seven entities linked to the Wagner group, whose mercenaries are fighting in Ukraine but are also involved in conflicts in African countries such as Mali.
Borrell said Wagner’s activities endangered international peace and security as it does not operate within any legal framework.
Among those blacklisted are two of the group’s commanders actively involved in the capture of the Ukraine town of Soledar last month and the head of Wagner in Mali, according to an EU statement.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal urged the EU on Saturday to keep increasing the costs for Russia of its invasion.
“The pressure on Russian aggressor must increase. We expect decisive steps against (Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy company) Rosatom & Russian nuclear industry, more pressure on military & banking,” Zelenskiy tweeted.
“We expect further intensification of pressure and restrictions, especially in the area of the nuclear industry and the activities of Rosatom,” Shmyhal said in tweet.
Reporting by Sabine Siebold; Additional reporting by Dan Peleschuk in Kyiv; Editing by Mike Harrison
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
