EU imposes sanctions on North Korean MoD's head for supplying missiles to Russia
The European Union, as part of its latest package of sanctions, has imposed restrictions on the Minister of Defense of North Korea, Kang Sun Nam, for supplying ballistic missiles to Russia, according to Euractiv.
Sanctions against Chinese companies
EU member states on Wednesday agreed to impose restrictions on three Chinese companies as part of new sanctions ahead of the second anniversary of Russia's war against Ukraine.
"The fresh round of restrictive measures – the 13th since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 invasion – is limited in scope as the bloc was keen to see it approved before the war’s second anniversary," the material writes.
EU ambassadors approved the package very quickly, without discussion, except for one statement from Hungary, which last week requested more time to consider its content.
The sanctions package focuses mostly on ensuring compliance with existing restrictions and targets around 200 individuals and organizations, making it the largest package of measures since the start of the war.
Sanctions against North Korean Defense Minister
As part of the new package, EU diplomats froze assets and imposed a visa ban on the North Korean Defense Minister, Kang Sun Nam, for supplying ballistic missiles to Russia.
The package also included sanctions on Russian transport companies involved in the transportation of arms.
The sanctions also expand restrictions on the export of certain technologies and electronics, such as chips, machinery, and ball bearings, used by the Russian defense industry.
Who else was targeted by sanctions
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the agreement of the 27 EU countries and stated that it will further restrict Russia's access to drones.
According to EU diplomats, the new sanctions included adding three Chinese firms to the list of companies with which EU companies are banned from doing business. They were accused of being involved in supplying secret military technologies to Russia, which ended up on the battlefield in Ukraine.
Trade restrictions were also introduced for the first time on Indian and Turkish companies assisting the Russian military machine in gaining access to banned components and technologies.
New EU sanctions against Russia
Today, February 21, it became known that ambassadors of the European Union countries have adopted the 13th package of sanctions against Russia.
As reported by the media, the package will be officially presented on the second anniversary of the full-scale war in Ukraine, that is, on February 24.
According to the EU's foreign policy chief, nearly 200 individuals and companies have been added to the sanctions lists. The sanctions also target blocking loopholes for circumventing sanctions.
It was also reported by the media that the European Union, in its 13th package of sanctions against Russia, has imposed restrictions on Russians and Belarusians involved in the deportation of Ukrainian children.