The European Union has agreed to impose a new round of sanctions on Russia, including a ban on importing Russian aluminium, as it seeks to maintain pressure on Moscow in the face of US talks with Russia.
This latest package of sanctions will be formally approved by EU foreign ministers on Monday, marking the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, AP reported.
This would be the EU’s 16th round of sanctions on Russia, coinciding with US President Donald Trump’s initiative to engage directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war, a move that has caused concern among Ukraine and its European allies.
The Trump administration announced on Tuesday that it had agreed to continue talks with Russia on ending the war after an initial meeting in Saudi Arabia that excluded Ukrainian and EU officials. This shift in US strategy marks a departure from the previous approach of isolating Putin and rallying support for Ukraine. Neither Ukraine nor European nations were invited to the talks held in Riyadh on Tuesday.
“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.”
In response, the EU has ramped up its sanctions, targeting more of Russia’s shadow fleet of vessels used to bypass restrictions on Russian oil exports.
The new measures include a blacklist of 73 additional ships, further disconnection of 13 Russian banks from the global SWIFT payment system, and a ban on eight more Russian media outlets from broadcasting in Europe.
First meeting in Saudi Arabia
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.
With the US now entering direct talks with Russia, European officials are urgently voicing their concerns. They fear that any deal with Moscow could embolden Russia and leave Europe in a difficult position.
The US has acknowledged that the EU will eventually need to be involved in discussions due to the sanctions it has imposed on Russia.
No one sidelined, says US official
US officials have emphasized that their exclusion does not signal any intention to exclude them from future peace negotiations.
“No one is being sidelined here,” Senator Marco Rubio stated. “Clearly, there will be engagement and consultation with Ukraine, our European partners, and others. But ultimately, any effort to engage Russia will require their participation.”
Representative Michael Waltz echoed this sentiment, noting that “to bring both sides together, you have to talk to both sides.” He pointed out that President Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy immediately after speaking with Putin last week, and that U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Rubio met with Zelenskyy in Germany last Friday.
Zelenskyy defers Saudi Arabia visit
However, Zelenskyy’s frustration with being excluded was evident, as he postponed plans to visit Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to avoid any connection between his trip and the US-Russia talks. This came before Trump’s remarks, which suggested Ukraine was partly to blame for the war’s outbreak.
Critics, such as Nigel Gould-Davies, Senior Fellow for Eurasia and Russia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, expressed concern over the direction of the negotiations.
“This whole process feels very tilted in Russia’s favor. It’s even questionable whether this should be considered a negotiation or a series of American concessions,” Gould-Davies said, pointing to the imbalance in the talks.