Overview

• The European Commission adopted a new sanctions package that advances an EU ban on Russian LNG from 1 January 2027, expands blacklists for shadow‑fleet vessels, tightens export controls on military‑use technologies, and restricts crypto and Russian payment systems.
• The measures target major energy actors, with bans on transactions involving Rosneft and Gazpromneft and wider curbs on Russian energy dealings, and they still require unanimous approval and implementing legal work by member states.
• Brussels outlined a proposed 'repair loan' to Ukraine funded by cash flows linked to frozen Russian assets, with repayment starting only after Russian reparations, a legally sensitive plan under discussion by EU ministers and the ECB.
• Estonia reported three Russian MiG‑31s violated its airspace for about 12 minutes with no flight plans and radios off, and Italian F‑35s on NATO duty scrambled from Ämari to intercept; Russia’s defence ministry denied any breach.
• NATO began reinforcing patrols under the Sentinella est posture with added aircraft and sensors from several allies, and EU leaders plan further deliberations at the 1 October informal summit in Copenhagen.