European Union ambassadors have approved a 21st package of sanctions against Russia, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
The new package bans transactions with 32 more Russian banks and imposes restrictions on cryptocurrency companies and oil trading platforms.
The EU is also freezing the price cap on Russian oil, currently set at $44.10 per barrel, and adding restrictions on vessels that assist Russia’s shadow fleet.
“And we took an important step towards formally banning Russian combatants from entering the EU,” von der Leyen said, though she gave no further details.
Sources told the Reuters news agency that the new sanctions package includes a 12-month exemption allowing Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) to be supplied to third countries, a concession that, according to the agency’s sources, was meant to show “solidarity” with Greece.
Greece opposed a ban on shipping Russian LNG to third countries in mid-July, blocking approval of the sanctions package at the time, in an effort to protect Dynagas, a shipping company owned by Greek billionaire George Prokopiou. Since the start of 2025, Dynagas has transported more than 10 million tons of Russian LNG on 11 vessels, completing 144 voyages.
Von der Leyen had previously proposed adding to the 21st sanctions package a ban on entry into EU countries for all Russians who fought in the war in Ukraine or served in the military after February 24, 2022. Italy and France raised doubts about the idea, arguing that the European Commission’s original proposal could amount to a blanket ban on Russians entering the EU.
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