Two months after adopting its 16th sanctions package against Russia, the European Union has backed a 17th round on Wednesday, targeting Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet”—a network of vessels used to evade sanctions and export oil to foreign markets.
The new sanctions target 194 ships associated with the shadow fleet, 31 arms supply companies involved in circumventing sanctions, and several banks, according to France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot.
Media reports say the package will also include “dozens” of additional individuals linked to Russia’s military and security apparatus. They will be added to the nearly 2,400 people and entities already subject to EU visa bans and asset freezes. The sanctions also cover individuals implicated in cyberattacks, human rights violations, and acts of sabotage in Europe.
European leaders endorsed the latest sanctions in an effort to pressure President Vladimir Putin to engage in negotiations and end the war in Ukraine. Barrot said additional steps would be necessary, as the sanctions so far have failed to deter Vladimir Putin from continuing his war of aggression. “So we must prepare to expand devastating sanctions that could suffocate once and for all Russia’s economy,” he told news channel BFM TV.
The package received broad backing from EU officials. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X that the bloc will “keep the pressure high on the Kremlin,” adding, “This war has to end.”
EU High Representative Kaja Kallas also welcomed the measures, noting that they “will target more of Russia’s shadow fleet, which is illegally shipping oil for revenues to fund Putin’s aggression.”
These shadow fleet tankers typically disable identification systems to avoid detection and enable illicit trading.
“Sanctions drain Russia’s war chest,” Kallas wrote.
Final approval is yet expected from EU defense and foreign ministers on Tuesday, May 20, with the sanctions taking effect shortly after publication in the EU’s Official Journal.
Barrot warned earlier this week that if Putin does not agree to a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, the EU is prepared to impose further “powerful and massive” sanctions on Russia, including potential tariffs of up to 500 percent on countries importing Russian oil.
On May 11, Putin proposed holding direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul this Thursday. If confirmed, the meeting would mark the first face-to-face negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv since 2022.
