Oil exports under scrutiny: will the sanctions package affect Russia’s “shadow” fleet?
20 February 19:35
The European Union plans to approve the 20th package of sanctions against Russia on February 23. This was announced by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, who stressed that the new restrictions are intended to increase economic pressure on Moscow, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
According to her, the sanctions are already causing “serious damage” to the Russian economy, and each new package reduces the Kremlin’s ability to continue the war.
“Moscow is not invincible”: Brussels’ position
Kallas made the statement after a meeting of E5 defense ministers. She stressed that the EU’s strategy is to ensure that Russia’s losses exceed the benefits of the war.
Brussels is convinced that
- the Russian army is suffering significant losses;
- the economy is under pressure;
- sanctions policy is gradually narrowing the Kremlin’s financial and technological capabilities.
In this context, Russian President Vladimir Putin was also mentioned, who, according to Callas, will not end the war without a significant increase in costs for his country.
What the new package entails
The European Commission presented its proposal on February 6. The 20th package includes restrictions in the following areas:
- energy;
- financial services;
- trade.
It is expected that the sanctions may affect oil export infrastructure, including the so-called “shadow” tanker fleet of the Russian Federation.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was receiving signals from European partners about their readiness to increase pressure on Russia precisely through restrictions on oil revenues.
Unanimity as a condition
However, the final decision has not yet been made. The sanctions require the unanimous support of all 27 member states in the EU Council.
This means that even one country can block the package or demand that certain provisions be softened. Similar discussions accompanied previous rounds of sanctions.
