EU approves largest Russia sanctions package since invasion began

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 12 Oct, 15:14 · Archive

The European Union has approved its biggest sanctions package against Russia, targeting over 1,600 entities tied to military production.

The European Union's foreign ministers approved the sanctions package during a meeting in Luxembourg. The listing targets 1,600 individuals and businesses connected to Russia's war effort, and a further 77 people and groups the EU sees as involved in illegal elections in occupied Ukrainian territories. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said this was 'the single largest expansion of our sanctions list since Russia started its war', with more than half of those targeted linked to ballistic missile production chains.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul described the measures as an 'unprecedented sanction blow' to President Vladimir Putin's war effort. He said the sanctions were designed to make it 'significantly harder, slower and more expensive for Russia to produce the weapons it uses to kill Ukrainians'. Wadephul said the message to Russia was clear: 'Russia cannot and will not win this war'.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk suggested the measures may not go far enough. Speaking at the Warsaw Security Forum, he called for even more decisive action, telling EU partners to 'seriously consider increasing sanctions against Russia' as the conflict approaches its fifth winter. The new sanctions list will remain in place for three years before requiring renewal.

How it is being reported

• EU approves biggest Russia sanctions package since invasion began“This is the single largest expansion of our sanctions list since Russia started its war," Kaja Kallas said.Politico Europe · 12 Oct, 14:52
• Germany's Wadephul calls new EU sanctions 'unprecedented' blow to RussiaThe European Union has approved its largest-ever sanctions package against Moscow, targeting more than 1,000 entities tied to the military-industrial complex.DW News · 12 Oct, 11:48

In this story: European Union · Russia · Ukraine · Johann Wadephul · Kaja Kallas · Vladimir Putin · Donald Tusk

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem