The sanction package has been expected for several weeks. Initially, his announcement was planned during the speech of von der Leyen in the European Parliament on September 10. At that time, the EC conducted consultations with the United States, whose president called on NATO states to completely depart from Russian oil. After talking to Donald Trump, the chairwoman of the EC emphasized: “Russian war economy, kept from fossil fuels income, finances bloodshed in Ukraine. To put an end to this, the Commission will propose to accelerate the withdrawal of Russian imports of fossil fuels.”
The EC also sought to strengthen the package in response to violations of Polish airspace by Russian drones on the night of September 9-10. The high EU representative for foreign and defense for Foreign and Defense Kaja Kallas stated: “In recent weeks, Russia has exacerbated the war with Ukraine. Drone attacks on Poland and Romania have shown that Russia has entered a more dangerous stage of this war. Moscow exposes the West to the test. If Putin senses any weakness, he will continue to exert pressure.”
Kallas pointed out that the EU intends to hit Russian banks, energy companies, cryptocurrency exchange and shadow fleets to limit Russia's abilities to conduct hostilities.
New restrictions are to strengthen the pressure of Moscow and protect the security of EU countries, including Poland and Romania, against further Russian aggression. 19. The Sanctions Package is an element of a wider European Union strategy to counteract the financing of war in Ukraine by fossil fuels.
