EU countries on Friday formally approved the fifth set of sanctions against Russia, including a ban on coal imports starting in August, a new ban on all transactions involving four major Russian banks (Sovkombank, Novikombank, VTB, and Otkrutie) and also banned Russian ships from docking in European ports. Pročitaj više

The package also includes a host of other measures designed to increase pressure on Moscow to make it stop the aggression against Ukraine.

The sanctions were adopted in the wake of atrocities committed by Russian troops in Bucha and other Ukrainian towns which had been occupied by Russia, the EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell said.

He added that the purpose of these sanctions was to stop the “ruthless, inhumane, and aggressive” conduct of Russian soldiers, and send a clear message to the Kremlin that the illegal aggression on Ukraine “would come with a high price.”

The European Commission said that it is already working on ideas for even more sanctions, which might include a ban on oil imports from Russia. Apart from sanctions on Russia, EU leaders have repeatedly emphasized the importance of reducing Europe’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels.