Zelenskyy sets new sanctions goals: Ukraine to toughen measures against Russia
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Ukraine will strengthen sanctions against Russia amid the ongoing full-scale war. In particular, new restrictions are planned against the captains of Russia's shadow fleet, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced.
According to the president, he held a meeting on sanctions policy and joint measures with international partners against Russia. Specific decisions were agreed upon during the meeting.
Sanctions alignment
As the head of state noted, the meeting resulted in a decision to fully synchronize Ukraine's sanctions with those of its international partners.
"Sanctions packages from the European Union and other global actors must be fully mirrored by Ukraine's national sanctions decisions," Zelenskyy added.
New sanctions targeting the shadow fleet
The president emphasized that he had tasked officials with expanding sanctions to include captains of Russia's so-called shadow fleet as well as Russian oil terminals involved in crude exports. These measures, he stressed, must also be synchronized with international partners.
"We are recording cases where the same oil tankers are being used by both Russia and Iran to finance war efforts. Separately, we are working on imposing sanctions against LNG (liquefied natural gas) carriers that Russia intends to use for its projects," Zelenskyy said.
New sanctions directions
Zelenskyy added that during the meeting, new directions for sanctions were discussed in order to prevent Russia from prolonging the war. These include targeting financial instruments, cryptocurrencies, payment schemes, and the supply of components and equipment to Russia for weapons production.
"I instructed officials to expand the scope of parliamentary diplomacy, engage civil society leaders, and coordinate with the corporate sector to support new sanctions measures," he noted.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, intelligence agencies, and the National Bank of Ukraine were also tasked with ensuring more tangible results from sanctions pressure on Russia and its allies.
Ukraine's sanctions against Russia
Last week Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy approved a new package of sanctions against Russia.
Among the targets was the Artek camp in temporarily occupied Crimea. Earlier reports indicated that the camp had been turned into a recreational facility for Russian soldiers.
