The European Union has proposed a visa ban on any Russian who has fought in the war against Ukraine as part of its next round of sanctions against Moscow, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday.
"We propose for the first time to ban entry into the European Union for anyone who has served in the Russian armed forces since the beginning of the war," von der Leyen said. This will "make sure that Europe stays off-limits for anyone who has participated in the invasion of Ukraine," she added.
Beyond the entry ban, a central focus of the fresh EU sanctions package is suppressing Russian energy revenues amid surging global oil prices driven by the war in the Middle East.
Brussels intends to lock in a price cap on Russian crude at its current level of approximately $44 per barrel until January, preventing the Kremlin from capitalizing on the market spike. To enforce this, the EU plans to blacklist 30 additional tankers belonging to Russia’s so-called "shadow fleet."
In addition, the package takes aim at crypto platforms, banks and third-party oil traders facilitating sanctions evasion, while widening trade restrictions to include imports of specific Russian seafood like cod and Alaska Pollock.
