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EU toughens Russia sanctions

Jul 18, 2025, 6:23am EDT
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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Yves Herman/Reuters

The European Union agreed fresh sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, intensifying efforts to force Moscow to the negotiating table.

The latest penalties lower the price cap on Russia’s oil exports and further restrict the Kremlin’s “shadow fleet” of unregistered tankers used to evade energy sanctions, and came as Germany’s chancellor said Ukraine would receive new Patriot air-defense systems “very soon.”

London, meanwhile, is considering following Berlin’s lead in purchasing US weapons to send to Ukraine, Bloomberg reported.

Whether those moves hasten an end to the war is another matter: Reuters cited sources close to Russian President Vladimir Putin to say he was “unfazed” by Western threats and instead “intends to keep fighting.”

A chart showing EU imports from Russia
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