New Russia sanctions

THE European Union approved a new raft of sanctions against Russia over its war on Ukraine, including a lower oil price cap, a ban on transactions with Nord Stream gas pipelines and the targeting of more shadow fleet ships, the EU foreign policy chief said.

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Kaja Kallas said in a statement: “The message is clear: Europe will not back down in its support for Ukraine. The EU will keep raising the pressure until Russia ends its war.”

Ms Kallas said the measures amount to “one of its strongest sanctions packages against Russia to date’ linked to the war, now in its fourth year. It comes as European countries start to buy US weapons for Ukraine to help the country better defend itself.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the new measures, describing them as a “timely and necessary” step amid intensified Russian attacks.