Overview

• The European Commission formally approved the new sanctions and outlined the measures in Brussels, with Commission leaders presenting the details.
• Russian LNG imports are slated for a full phase‑out by 1 January 2027, accelerating the timeline previously envisaged under RePowerEU.
• An additional 119 vessels suspected of serving Russia’s shadow fleet are barred from EU ports, and Gazprom and Rosneft face exclusion from transactions.
• Export controls target technologies for military use across 45 firms in Russia and third countries, with measures extending to refineries, traders and petrochemical companies, including in China.
• The package adds a ban on cryptocurrency transactions and curbs on Russian payment networks, while the Commission advances a ‘reparation loan’ for Ukraine backed by cash balances from frozen Russian assets, a step that has drawn legal caution from Italy and guarded openness from Germany.