The European Union has adopted its 21st sanctions package against Russia, imposing its most extensive economic penalties in four years. The measures expand restrictions across the financial, military, cyber and energy sectors while introducing new enforcement tools and broader export controls.
The package tightens restrictions on the Moscow Exchange and blocks the A7 cross-border payment network. It also bans crypto services operating in third countries that help Moscow evade sanctions.
Beyond the financial sector, the EU has expanded export controls targeting Russia's military supply chain for long-range drones and added 51 entities to its export control list.
The sanctions package directly targets Russia's FSB 16th Centre, holding the intelligence unit responsible for cyber espionage and sabotage across EU member states.
The package also freezes the assets of 15 individuals and one entity linked to war crimes and the torture of Ukrainian prisoners of war.
The EU has set a new price cap of U.S.$44 per barrel on Russian oil for the next 12 months.
The original price cap, introduced in 2022, was U.S.$60 per barrel, while the global market price for crude oil is currently around U.S.$80 per barrel.
The bloc has also blacklisted additional tankers operating in Russia's "shadow fleet", targeting vessels used to transport Russian oil while evading international restrictions.
The package required unanimous approval from all EU member states, and the final agreement includes several exemptions.
Greece secured an exemption allowing its shipping fleet to transport Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) to non-EU countries.
Following pressure from Bulgaria, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church and the founder of Lukoil were removed from the blacklist.
Portugal and Germany blocked a proposed ban on Russian seafood imports.
Austria delayed sanctions against an investment firm linked to Raiffeisen Bank, which is currently exposed to more than €2 billion in losses in Russia.
The 21st sanctions package significantly strengthens restrictions on Russia's financial system, military supply chains, cyber operations and energy exports. At the same time, the exemptions illustrate the compromises made by member states to secure unanimous approval for the measures.
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U.S. President Donald Trump has criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for continuing to target Russia's energy infrastructure, while Russian strikes on Kyiv overnight killed at least one person and damaged a metro station.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived in Norway for talks about the Russia-Ukraine war. He is expected to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who arrived in Oslo earlier. Witkoff will also meet European officials.
French President Emmanuel Macron has condemned the violence, looting and vandalism that erupted during cost-of-living protests across France. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu held crisis talks on Monday, calling for partial curfews and raising the possibility of a state of emergency.
An oil tanker caught fire after striking a naval mine in the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said late Sunday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said regional issues should be resolved through diplomacy and blamed the United States for insecurity and tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, speaking at a joint news conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday.
China has lodged a formal diplomatic protest with the UK after British border officials allegedly subjected Chinese travellers to lengthy questioning and seized personal electronic devices, including phones, laptops and smartwatches.
More than 150 people have been killed in a drone strike on a crowded market in the disputed Abyei region, South Sudanese officials said, marking one of the deadliest attacks linked to Sudan's civil war since it began in April 2023.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived in Norway for talks about the Russia-Ukraine war. He is expected to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who arrived in Oslo earlier. Witkoff will also meet European officials.
Beijing says it deployed naval forces to monitor a U.S. warship near Sabina Shoal, while Taiwan reports a separate confrontation with a Chinese coast guard vessel near the Pratas Islands.
Tensions are mounting across Asia, with North Korea warning of war, China clashing with the U.S. and the Philippines, and protests gathering pace in Indonesia and India. Military threats, diplomatic disputes and political unrest are fuelling uncertainty across the region.
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