The European Commission has unveiled its 19th sanctions package against Moscow, with President Ursula von der Leyen stressing that the EU will continue to support Ukraine and that Russia must pay the price for its ongoing aggression.

Von der Leyen outlined the new sanctions in three key sectors:

• Natural Gas Ban: Imports and purchases of Russian natural gas by all EU member states are now prohibited, extending the earlier ban already in place on Russian crude oil.
• Sanctions on “Shadow Fleet”: A further 118 Russian ships from Moscow’s so-called “shadow fleet,” used to export and sell energy to third markets, have been added to the sanctions list. The EU’s list now covers more than 500 vessels, not all Russian. Von der Leyen emphasized that this list will be constantly updated as new intelligence emerges.
• Energy Giants Targeted: The EU has now excluded Russia’s two largest energy companies from all activities and procedures within the Union. Beyond energy, these companies also operate in the financial sector.

Von der Leyen underlined that the collective actions of Ukraine’s allies will continue to weaken Russia’s already “critical” economy. She also presented a new European plan to leverage frozen Russian assets, confirming that work is in its final stage on a new bond loan for Ukraine. This loan will be backed by those assets and repaid by Kyiv once Russia begins paying war reparations after the conflict.