EU keeps up 'pressure' on Russia with new sanctions

EU countries on Wednesday agreed a new round of sanctions on Russia, diplomats said, as the bloc looks to keep up pressure in the face of U.S. talks with Russia.

The wide-ranging package -- which includes a ban on imports of Russian aluminum -- will be formally adopted by EU foreign ministers on Monday, the third anniversary of Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine.

The EU's 16th round of sanctions on Russia comes as U.S. President Donald Trump has undercut Kyiv and its European backers by launching efforts with Russia's Vladimir Putin to end the war.

"The EU is clamping down even harder on circumvention by targeting more vessels in Putin's shadow fleet and imposing new import and export bans," European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X.

"We are committed to keep up the pressure on the Kremlin."

Beyond targeting Russia's lucrative aluminum sector, the new measures target the so-called "shadow fleet" used to skirt restrictions on Russian oil exports by blacklisting 73 more aging vessels.

The EU will also disconnect a further 13 Russian banks from the global SWIFT payment system and ban a further eight Russian media outlets from broadcasting in Europe.

Europe is scrambling to react after Trump upended three-years of staunch U.S. support for Kyiv by starting talks with Moscow.

Top US officials and Russian negotiators held a first meeting in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to pave the way towards reaching a deal on Ukraine.

European countries are urgently trying to make their voices heard as they fear a bad deal could leave an emboldened Moscow claiming victory.

The U.S. has said that the EU will eventually have to play a role in the talks due to the sanctions it has imposed on Russia.

© Agence France-Presse