EU prepares 21st Russia sanctions package targeting shadow fleet, banks and stolen grain trade — Politico
The European Union is preparing its 21st sanctions package against Russia, targeting the Kremlin's shadow fleet, banks, and firms trading stolen Ukrainian grain, Politico reported, citing EU diplomats.
The package is expected by late June or early July 2026, with Russia's shadow fleet as the primary target. It would also impose restrictions on Russian banks, financial institutions, defense-sector companies, and firms trading grain stolen from Ukrainian-occupied territories.
EU officials also plan to revive previously blocked measures — including sanctions against members of the Russian Orthodox Church and its leader, Patriarch Kirill, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin — that were held up by then-Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The bloc may also reinstate a ban on maritime services for Russian vessels, previously blocked by Greece and Malta.
"Following Hungarian elections, there is a new momentum for sanctions. We should revisit sanctions that have been on the table and not agreed before, but also we should move on with the new sanctions’ package," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told reporters following a meeting of EU ministers in Luxembourg.
According to Politico, the EU is also set to impose sanctions on more than two dozen Russians linked to the abduction of Ukrainian children.
EU officials noted that Russia's economy is now "the worst internally it has been since the start of the war," adding that this is "the moment to push for more."