(ANSA-AFP) - BRUSSELS, FEB 19 - EU countries on Wednesday
agreed a new round of sanctions on Russia, diplomats said, as
the bloc looks to keep up pressure in the face of US talks with
Russia. The wide-ranging package -- which includes a ban on
imports of Russian aluminium -- will be formally adopted by EU
foreign ministers on Monday, the third anniversary of Kremlin's
invasion of Ukraine. The EU's 16th round of sanctions on Russia
comes as US President Donald Trump has undercut Kyiv and its
European backers by launching efforts with Russia's Vladimir
Putin to end the war. "The EU is clamping down even harder on
circumvention by targeting more vessels in Putin's shadow fleet
and imposing new import and export bans," European Commission
president Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X. "We are committed to
keep up the pressure on the Kremlin." Beyond targeting Russia's
lucrative aluminium sector, the new measures target the
so-called "shadow fleet" used to skirt restrictions on Russian
oil exports by blacklisting 73 more ageing vessels. The EU will
also disconnect a further 13 Russian banks from the global SWIFT
payment system and ban a further eight Russian media outlets
from broadcasting in Europe. Europe is scrambling to react after
Trump upended three-years of staunch US support for Kyiv by
starting talks with Moscow. Top US officials and Russian
negotiators held a first meeting in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to
pave the way towards reaching a deal on Ukraine. European
countries are urgently trying to make their voices heard as they
fear a bad deal could leave an emboldened Moscow claiming
victory. The US has said that the EU will eventually have to
play a role in the talks due to the sanctions it has imposed on
Russia. (ANSA-AFP).
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