Dutch lawyer and sanctions specialist Heleen over de Linden described the 19th package of sanctions approved by the European Union against Russia for its ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine as very serious.
She said this in an exclusive comment to a Ukrinform correspondent in the Hague.
“The EU sanctions are a very serious package. Rosneft and Gazprom Neft have been added to the list, but not Lukoil. Many more vessels from Russia’s shadow fleet, as well as several companies and banks, have also been included. The new package will additionally restrict access to crypto exchanges and cryptocurrency services. The EU has expanded export restrictions on dual-use goods and high-tech materials that can be used in the military industry, among other measures. So this is indeed a very large-scale package. And it’s also important that the EU plans a complete ban on the import of Russian LNG starting January 1, 2027. That is a major step as well,” she said.
According to the Dutch lawyer, “the impact will be enormous, both direct and indirect. More and more people are afraid to cooperate with companies that might be linked to sanctioned entities. And Rosneft has so many subsidiaries and is involved in various financial and industrial sectors that it is almost impossible to do business with it without violating sanctions. So for Russia, this will be a very hard and major blow.”
As reported, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas announced that the European Union has approved its 19th package of sanctions against Russia for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
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