EU Is Set to Propose New Sanctions on Russian Tech and Vehicles
(Bloomberg) -- The European Union is set to propose a new package of sanctions to further restrict Moscow’s ability to support its war machine, according to people familiar with the proposals.
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The measures will include extensive new export bans on a number of products, technologies and components that have been identified in Russian weapons deployed in Ukraine, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the plans.
The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, is planning to also propose export measures aimed at heavy vehicles — including trucks and machines normally used in the forestry and agricultural sectors — as well as possible import restrictions on Russian rubber and asphalt, according to the people.
The potential suite of measures has yet to be formally proposed and may still change. EU sanctions need the backing of all member states to be adopted. Ambassadors will discuss the measures later this week with the aim to approve the package by Feb. 24, the one-year mark of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Politico reported some of the proposals earlier Monday.
Wagner Sanctions
The package of measures, the EU’s 10th since Russia’s invasion, may also introduce sanctions on dozens more individuals and entities, the people said. The EU could also further sanction the Russian mercenary group Wagner. France has been pushing to sanction the group, according to two other people. Wagner is estimated to control about 50,000 troops in Ukraine and is also present in countries in central Africa and the Sahel.
The new package will try to bolster efforts to block those attempting to circumvent EU sanctions by banning firms from selling key exports and technologies to third countries that then supply them to Russia. It would also include further measures aimed at Moscow’s drone sector and imports of drones from Iran.
In parallel, the EU is also preparing new sanctions against Belarus for its role in supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine, aligning the restrictions on Minsk to those on Moscow, Bloomberg previously reported.
The European Commission may also propose sanctions on more banks, but some nations oppose that move, the people said.
The EU is unlikely to target the Russian nuclear power company Rosatom as part of this package of measures because several member states are against that, the person said. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged EU leaders directly last week to impose sanctions on the firm, claiming that it was responsible for taking over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, and taking workers hostage and deporting their children to Russia.
--With assistance from Samy Adghirni.
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