The European Union is preparing its toughest sanctions against Russia since the start of its full-scale war on Ukraine in 2022, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Monday, July 7.
Barrot said the move comes in response to a sharp rise in Russian missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities, despite recent calls for a ceasefire.
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“Instead of agreeing to the 30-day truce proposed by US President Donald Trump, Russia has increased its attacks fivefold,” he told reporters. “This cannot continue. It must stop.”
The new EU sanctions, coordinated with American lawmakers and based on French proposals, will directly target resources that help Russian President Vladimir Putin continue his war, Barrot said.
The measures are expected to go beyond energy exports, such as oil, and will also hit financial actors inside Russia and abroad who help Moscow skirt existing sanctions.
“[Russian leader Vladimir] Putin is no longer advancing on the battlefield,” Barrot said. “He is limited to shelling residential areas with drones and missiles – and civilians are paying the price. This has to end.”
Since 2022, the EU has adopted 17 rounds of sanctions against Russia. The planned 18th package – which includes lowering the price cap on Russian oil from $60 to $45 per barrel and banning transactions with Nord Stream pipelines and certain banks – was delayed in June due to objections from Slovakia.
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Meanwhile, the US Senate is expected to consider a separate bill this month that would impose sweeping trade penalties.
The proposal, backed by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, would introduce 500% tariffs on countries that continue to import Russian oil, gas, uranium, and other resources. Graham said Trump personally encouraged him to move forward on the bill.
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