EU starts discussing 13th package of sanctions against Russia — Bloomberg

The European Union has begun discussing a new 13th package of sanctions against Russia, which it seeks to approve by 24 February, the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

According to Bloomberg, potential measures could include new lists, more trade restrictions, and a fight against Moscow's constant attempts to circumvent EU sanctions through third countries and companies within the EU.

Possible sanctions were discussed on Wednesday at a meeting of EU ambassadors, where member states haggled over how best to support Kyiv in the long run. However, it will not be easy to reach an agreement on the 13th package of sanctions before next month, as the previous package required weeks of negotiations.

Discussions are also ongoing about plans to create a new fund for military support for Ukraine, which some EU countries want to use to modernise the current funding mechanism, known as the European Peace Fund.

The EU External Action Service has proposed to provide the fund with an annual budget of about €5 billion but could not reach a consensus between the member states. According to the sources, officials will soon submit a new document with proposals to member states.

Dmytro Kuleba, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, called on Western countries to suppress Russia's ability to produce weapons at a time when Moscow continues to receive foreign components for this purpose.

On 18 December, the Council of the European Union completed the process of adopting the 12th package of sanctions against Russia.

In addition, following a remote meeting on 6 December, the G7 announced their intentions to introduce restrictions on Russian diamonds by 1 January 2024.