New EU sanctions against Russia will target aluminum, agriculture, shadow fleet and LNG

The new 16th package of EU sanctions against Russia will target aluminum, agricultural products, the “shadow fleet,” liquefied natural gas, and Russian banks. Rikard Dzoswiak, the Europe editor at Radio Liberty, reported this.

He noted that a new package of EU sanctions against Russia is being prepared but will be submitted to the member states for the first time next week. 

“(The package) targeting aluminum, agricultural products, the shadow fleet, LNG, and other banks,” Dzoswiak said.

According to reports, Poland, currently holding the EU presidency, wants to adopt the new sanctions package on February 24, the third anniversary of the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.

Earlier, Poland, along with a group of Scandinavian and Baltic countries, presented their proposals for the 16th package of sanctions. In particular, the countries demand restrictions on imports of Russian gas and liquefied natural gas.

On December 16, the EU adopted the 15th package of sanctions against Russia, designed to counteract sanctions circumvention by targeting the Russian “shadow fleet” and weaken the Russian military-industrial complex.

CNN: Biden administration tries to convince EU to use frozen Russian assets as leverage

Just days before the end of his administration, Joe Biden’s administration is working to convince European partners to use $300 billion in frozen Russian assets as future leverage in negotiations on a peaceful settlement. CNN reported this, citing two senior Biden administration officials.

Biden’s aides are working to convince European partners to support the transfer of about $300 billion of Russian money to a new escrow account that will be available only as part of a peace agreement.

The Russian Central Bank still holds the majority of this money in European banks, with some remaining in US-based banks.

According to a senior Biden administration official, the move aims to convey a clear message to Moscow: “If you want your money back, you’re going to have to come and talk.”

The Trump camp, according to people familiar with the matter, generally supports this strategy, believing that the blocked money could give Russia a new incentive to come to the table.

Europeans, however, are not as enthusiastic about the idea and have expressed concern about violating international law if banks completely confiscate Russian money.

Sources told the TV channel that Europeans are skeptical about the idea of confiscating frozen Russian money a few days before Trump takes office, making any agreement unlikely.

In a recent interview, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that he had offered Trump $300 billion in frozen Russian assets to strengthen the Ukrainian army, as a form of security guarantee Ukraine would like to receive in exchange for agreeing to end the war.