The EU prepares the 19th pack of sanctions against Moscow. Which Russian oil company is targeted / message from Kremlin: No sanction will force Russia to change their actions in Ukraine

France and Germany propose that the European Union are targeting Lukoil, a Russian oil company present in Europe, as well as other actors outside the EU that help Russia sell their oil, in the 19th European sanctions package, diplomatic sources quoted by AFP said on Monday.

Oil and gas sales are the main sources of financing for Russia's war effort in Ukraine, France and Germany argue the proposal in a working document.

Therefore, they support the two countries, it is essential for sanctions against Russia to target actors, companies or third countries that contribute to the marketing of Russian fuels, including Lukoil, one of the few private companies in this sector in Russia and which has a network of gas stations in EU Member States, reports France Prese.

France and Germany also propose the consolidation of EU sanctions against third countries that facilitate the bypass existing sanctions, such as the refineries supplied with Russian oil and which then sell fuels in the EU under another origin.

The European Union stopped all the imports of Russian oil after the invasion in Ukraine. Two member countries, Slovakia and Hungary, have been exempted from these restrictions, given that they have no exit to the sea and can be more difficult to supply with oil from other sources. But also their supply with Russian oil has been disturbed in recent weeks by the Ukrainian attacks on the Drujba pipe.

Franco-German proposals also include strict measures against the financial mechanisms used by Russia to bypass Western sanctions. No less than 250 small banks are involved in financial transactions meant to support the Russian war effort, the document with these proposals is shown.

The new package of European sanctions against Russia could be presented by the European Commission on Friday, European diplomats said, and follows the largest Russian attack on Ukraine since the beginning of the war, which reached the Kiev Government's headquarters on Sunday.

Following the hit of the headquarters of the Ukrainian government, which caused a fire on the roof of the building, Ukrainian officials demanded new measures against Russia. “This is a clear signal that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin tests the world, to see if he accepts or tolerates this,” said Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski, who asked that “statements of leaders, states and institutions should be supported by bluntly actions” against Russia, respectively new sanctions against it, and in Ukraine, and in Ukraine. Ukrainian to hit in the depths of Russia weapons and oil infrastructures.

Russia has denied that he sought to hit the headquarters of the Kiev government, stating that he aimed in this attack military aerodromes, production, storage and launch of drones, and in Kiev the targets were an industrial facility and a logistics base. Russia states after such attacks that it never targets civil targets, and the fall of some of its drones and rockets in other places is the result of the action of Ukrainian anti -aircraft systems, respectively the fall of shattered projectiles or the deviation of the trajectory drones after using the Ukrainian electronic war systems.

The Kremlin claims that sanctions will never change Russia's actions in Ukraine

The Kremlin said on Monday that no sanctions will ever be able to determine Russia to change its position for the conflict in Ukraine repeatedly, Reuters reports.

Only a few hours after the US and the EU indicated that they consider new sanctions against Moscow, the spokesman of the Presidency of Russia, Dmitri Peskov, said that “no sanction will be able to force the Russian federation to change its consistent position that has spoken to our president several times.”

The purpose of the thousands of Western sanctions that followed the annexation by Russia of the Ukrainian Peninsula in 2014 and the Russian invasion in Ukraine in February 2022 is to weaken the Russian economy worth $ 2200 billion, growing faster than the most developed countries in G7, and affecting Putin President Vladimir.

Peskov claims that Russia's economy has challenged the West forecasts about a collapse, resisting well. He has announced that he ordered Russian companies and officials to defy sanctions in any way possible.

On Sunday, US President Donald Trump said he is ready to move on to the second phase of anti-Russian sanctions. Reuters believes that it has been the strongest suggestion so far on intensifying the measures taken by Washington against Moscow and countries that buy Russian oil.

On Monday, the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, said that the preparations of the Union for new sanctions are closely coordinated with those of the United States. The EU official said that the only way to get a sustainable peace in Ukraine is to continue support for Kiev and increase pressure on Russia, in coordination with the US, considering that Putin will be forced to accept negotiations with Zelenski.

Dmitri Peskov said that Europe and Ukraine do their best to attract the US to their orbit, while the Kremlin would prefer to resolve the conflict by diplomatic means, but if it fails, it will continue the “special military operation” in Ukraine.

Despite several series of Western sanctions, Russia's war economy increased by 4.1% in 2023 and by 4.3% in 2024, Reuters reminds, mentioning that this year is a sudden slowdown, as a result of the high interest rates.