EU Imposes Thirteenth Round of Sanctions Against Russia

Facts

• The European Union has agreed to a new sanctions package against Russia that will target companies suspected of helping the Kremlin obtain forbidden advanced technology and military goods manufactured in the EU.¹
• EU ambassadors from all 27 member countries approved the sanctions on roughly 200 companies and individuals, which rotating President Belgium called "one of the broadest" sanction packages approved by the EU.²
• The new round of sanctions will be formally approved on Feb. 24, the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It is the EU's 13th sanctions package since the war started. European Commission Pres. Ursula von der Leyen said the penalties are aimed at "degrading Putin's war machine."³
• The new sanctions ban nearly 200 more entities from the EU - a total of 2K people and entities are now on the sanction list. The latest round specifically targets Russia's access to components needed to manufacture drones, while companies in the EU will not be allowed to sell military-related goods and technologies to Moscow.⁴
• The package also marks the first time the EU has targeted Chinese and Indian companies accused of aiding Russia, though Brussels has abandoned plans to sanction mainland China. Companies in Sri Lanka, Turkey, Thailand, Serbia, and Kazakhstan are also included on the new list.⁵
• While the EU has tried to use sanctions as an anti-circumvention mechanism to block third parties from sending EU-made items to Moscow, trade between Russia and China reached a record high of $240B last year. Despite the sanctions, forecasts for the Russian economy remain positive.¹

Sources: ¹Euronews, ²Associated Press, ³FOX News, ⁴Al Jazeera and ⁵Nikkei Asia.

Narratives

• Anti-Russia narrative, as provided by Le Monde.fr. The EU remains united against Vladimir Putin's brutal invasion of Ukraine, and the bloc will continue to impose sanctions against all entities and individuals that aid Putin's war machine. The latest package of sanctions is the most robust of all 13 rounds, and it will not allow the Kremlin to circumvent existing measures by using third-party countries. While Moscow may publicly claim that the Russian economy is thriving, the truth is that Western sanctions are taking a major toll. Russia's aggression will never be tolerated, and the nation will pay the price for its brutality.
• Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by RT. For two years, the EU and other Western regimes have imposed sanctions on Russia and any country that does business with Moscow, yet all of those measures have failed to make a dent in the Russian economy. The truth is that Russian industry, resources, and goodwill make it impossible for the West to tank the Russian economy. Everyone is growing tired of these illegal penalties, and the West is only alienating China with its draconian sanctions. The EU is only hurting itself with this latest round of spiteful attacks.