EU’s sanctions against Russia include 2 Chinese refineries, trader Chinaoil
The EU’s latest package of sanctions against Russia includes two Chinese refiners and Chinaoil Hong Kong, a trading arm of PetroChina, according to The EU Official Journal.
The two refineries are Liaoyang Petrochemical and Shandong Yulong Petrochemical.
Since its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moscow has leaned heavily on Beijing as US and EU energy sanctions have targeted the Russian economy.
Russia’s Medvedev says Trump on ‘warpath’ with Moscow, aligned with ‘loony’ Europe
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has slammed the Trump administration’s decision to cancel a summit in Budapest and impose sanctions, noting that it was proof that Washington was “on the warpath” with Moscow.
“The US is our enemy, and their talkative ‘peacemaker’ has now fully embarked on the warpath with Russia,” Medvedev wrote on Telegram, referring to President Donald Trump.
“The decisions taken are an act of war against Russia. And now Trump has fully aligned himself with loony Europe,” he said.
Russia condemns latest US and EU sanctions
The EU’s sanctions against Russia work primarily against the bloc itself, said the Russian foreign ministry, adding that EU leaders simply could not accept that their sanctions were not working.
Moscow has also condemned the latest US energy sanctions against Russia. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the sanctions were “counterproductive” from the perspective of finding peace in Ukraine.
Russian goals in Ukraine remain unchanged, and the root causes of the conflict need to be resolved, Zakharova told reporters in Moscow.
Zelensky hails new US, EU energy sanctions on Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked the US and the EU for agreeing on new energy sanctions against Russia, saying they were “very important”.
He also told reporters in Brussels that a ceasefire was possible in Russia’s war on Ukraine but that yet more pressure would be needed on Moscow to make it happen.
Zelensky ruled out making any territorial concessions to Russia.
EU prepared to fill Ukraine’s financial needs for 2026 and 2027, Costa says
Welcoming Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the summit in Brussels, EU Council President Antonio Costa has said the bloc will agree on filling Ukraine’s financial needs in 2026 and 2027.
“Today we will take the political decision to ensure the financial needs from Ukraine to 2026 and 2027,” Costa said before the summit of EU leaders.
“The technicality of the solutions, we continue to work on with the European Commission, but the most important is the political decision,” he asserted.
EU officially adopts 19th sanctions package against Russia, including LNG import ban
The EU has formally adopted a 19th package of sanctions against Russia for its war against Ukraine that includes a ban on Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports.
The 27-member bloc approved the package on Wednesday after Slovakia dropped its objections.
The EU’s LNG ban will take effect in two stages: short-term contracts will end after six months and long-term contracts from January 1, 2027.
The full ban comes a year earlier than the Commission’s proposed roadmap to end the bloc’s reliance on
Russian fossil fuels.
The new EU package also adds new travel restrictions on Russian diplomats and lists 117 more vessels from Moscow’s shadow fleet, mostly tankers, bringing the total number of sanctioned vessels to 558.
Russia is testing the unity of Ukraine’s allies
The recent Russian violations of the EU’s regional airspace were part of Moscow’s “way to test, to see the degree of unity” between Ukraine’s allies at a time of “tension” between the Trump administration and Europe, Garret Martin, co-director of the Transatlantic Policy Center at the American University in Washington DC, tells FRANCE 24.
“There’s a question to see how united would the Europeans be and how much public pressure would they face,” Martin notes.
Climate crunch time in Brussels as EU leaders meet
The EU’s climate ambitions and its hopes for an industrial revival will come to a head today as the 27-member bloc faces pressure to agree on a 10-year target to cut carbon emissions ahead of the UN COP30 climate summit next month.
But competing concerns over supporting ailing businesses including Europe’s cherished car industry have stalled progress.
Tensions between the EU’s desire to play a starring role in the fight against global warming and boost its sluggish economy have been bubbling up for months.
Many businesses complain they are being asked to invest in greening their operations at a time when trade tensions and competition from China are squeezing returns.
A growing number of capitals, in what is an increasingly right-leaning bloc, have been receptive to industry’s arguments, culminating in a standoff over the headline figure Brussels has put forward to drive its future climate action.
Ukraine envoy to US hails Trump sanctions on Russia
Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States on Wednesday hailed long-awaited sanctions on Russia imposed by President Donald Trump, saying only shows of strength would work against Moscow.
“This decision fully aligns with Ukraine’s consistent position that peace can only be achieved through strength and by exerting maximum pressure on the aggressor using all available international instruments,” Ambassador Olga Stefanishyna said in a statement.
SUMMARY
- European leaders will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Brussels to reaffirm support for Kyiv amid uncertainty over US President Donald Trump’s stalled peace efforts with Russia.
- The EU agreed on a new package of sanctions against Moscow, including a 2027 ban on Russian liquefied natural gas and curbs on oil tankers and Chinese refineries.
- Leaders backed a proposal to use frozen Russian assets to provide a €140 billion “reparation loan” to Ukraine.
- Ukraine is urging swift approval of the plan – Zelensky says Kyiv needs the funds by year’s end and should have flexibility over how to spend them.
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