New EU sanctions on Russia may hit 1,600 people and companies — Politico
The sanctions could be adopted in mid-October (photo: Getty Images)
Drone incidents, arson threats and other security concerns have increased in NATO countries in recent weeks. Amid this, the European Union is preparing a new package of sanctions against Russia that could target around 1,600 individuals and entities, according to Politico.
Three EU diplomats said the sanctions would be discussed at an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Ireland on September 1 and 2.
One of the diplomats said around 1,600 candidates are currently being considered for sanctions. They include 800 individuals and 800 legal entities. The sanctions are expected to be adopted in mid-October.
Another diplomat said the issue of using frozen Russian assets is once again being discussed. At the same time, this is a long-term process that requires efforts to persuade Belgium, which has long opposed the idea.
Politico writes that all three diplomats spoke of a significant expansion of the existing sanctions against Russia.
"The strategy is to pull out all the stops. We are deploying every possible sanctions regime," the first EU diplomat said.
EU sanctions against Russia
As previously reported, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said several weeks ago that the European Union plans to significantly expand sanctions against Russia in the coming months. According to her, the fall will see the proposal of the largest sanctions package since the beginning of the war.
Earlier, Bloomberg reported that more than 1,600 companies helping Russia wage war against Ukraine could face sanctions.
