European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on 9 June 2026 announced the 21st sanctions package against Russia, focusing on energy, financial services, crypto assets, trade including fisheries, and a ban on entry for former Russian combatants. The package aims to maintain pressure on Russia's war economy amid easing global energy supply pressures and continued Russian strikes on Ukraine.
The package proposes pausing the oil price cap adjustment mechanism until January 2027 to stabilise markets while preserving revenue pressure. It lists 30 additional shadow fleet vessels, bringing the total to 662, and for the first time targets vessels providing bunkering and other support services. Critical infrastructure such as ports, airports, and refineries trading or processing Russian oil are also targeted, alongside restrictions on LNG tanker sales to Russia.
On financial and crypto restrictions, the package expands transaction bans to 31 more Russian banks and 20 entities in third countries, including banks, crypto firms, and oil traders that have serviced sanctioned Russian entities. For the first time, it introduces the possibility of a full third-country ban for crypto-asset services, acting as a deterrent against sanctions evasion.
Trade measures include new export restrictions on metals and alloys used in aerospace and defence, drone-related equipment such as ground support and jamming systems, and import bans on goods worth EUR 60 million, covering metals, ores, and car parts. Fisheries are addressed for the first time, with substantial restrictions on some fish products and a complete ban on others, including cod. Trade restrictions for Belarus are aligned to prevent backdoor evasion.
A key novelty is the ban on entry into the EU for anyone who has served in the Russian Armed Forces since the start of the war, effectively barring all participants in the invasion.
nearly EUR 3 billion delivered from the Ukraine Facility on 8 June, with the first disbursement under the EUR 90 billion loan expected this month. By end of June, Ukraine will receive EUR 6 billion for drones and over EUR 3 billion in macro-financial assistance. She noted that accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova will formally open in the coming days, marking the next phase of the enlargement process.
The speech framed the sanctions as a response to Russia's "failure" in its war, citing economic strain on Russia including near 6% inflation, 14.5% interest rates, declining living standards, and a 40% drop in energy revenues in early 2026. Von der Leyen argued that sanctions have cut Russia off from global capital markets, slowed growth, and depleted over two-thirds of its sovereign wealth fund's liquid assets.
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