EU Approves 19th Sanctions Package on Russia, Banning LNG

Representatives of the European Union member states have officially approved the 19th package of sanctions against Russia, one of the key points of which is the ban on the import of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG). This is reported by Reuters.

According to the new restrictions, the ban on the import of Russian LNG will be implemented in phases. Short-term contracts will cease to be valid after six months, and long-term ones from January 1, 2027. It is noted that the full ban will come into force one year earlier than planned in the European Commission's roadmap for abandoning Russian fossil fuels.

The measures provided for in the package also include a new mechanism restricting the movement of Russian diplomats within the EU. The head of the EU's foreign service, Kaja Kallas, wrote on the social network X: "The sanctions are aimed at Russian banks, cryptocurrency exchanges, organizations operating in India and China, and others."

"This is an important package of measures aimed at Russia's main sources of income through new energy, financial, and trade measures," said the representative of Denmark, which holds the EU presidency.

At the same time, the director of the "New Society Institute," Vasily Koltashov, in an interview with the magazine "International Life," expressed the opinion that this package is aimed not so much directly at Russia as at those who buy Russian oil abroad: China, India, and the companies of those countries. "That is, the European Union, with considerable audacity, is taking upon itself extraterritorial powers to punish third countries. We understand that the EU is waging an economic war against Russia aimed at destruction. But now they are starting to more actively involve other countries, accusing their companies of buying something from Russia," Koltashov noted.