The European Union reached an agreement on the 21st round of sanctions prepared against Russia's military operations in Ukraine. The package, approved on Thursday, was adopted with a narrowed scope compared to previous proposals due to objections from some member states.
This latest round of sanctions, in place since February 2022, maintains the existing price cap on Russian oil exports rather than tightening it. Diplomats said the package was delayed due to various concerns from EU governments.
The EU stated that despite the watered-down measures, the new sanctions aim to maintain economic and political pressure on Moscow and reaffirm support for Ukraine. As the war enters its fifth year, it is noted that maintaining consensus within the 27-member bloc is becoming increasingly difficult.
Lavrov warns US over arms shipments to Ukraine
In parallel with the sanctions decision, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Manila, the capital of the Philippines. The high-level meeting, which took place on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, was the first official contact between Lavrov and Rubio since September 2025.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov told Rubio that US military support for Ukraine was "unacceptable" and called on Washington to stop arms shipments to what he described as the "Kiev regime."
Lavrov also criticized European governments for pursuing a "destabilizing policy" aimed at inflicting a "strategic defeat" on Russia, while reiterating that Moscow is open to a "political-diplomatic solution" to the conflict. The meeting came at a time when Washington's diplomatic focus has shifted from Ukraine to the conflict in the Middle East.
Since 2022, the EU has imposed numerous sanctions packages targeting Russia's financial sector, energy exports, defense industry, technology imports, and hundreds of individuals and entities linked to the Kremlin. These sanctions are considered one of the most comprehensive sanction regimes the bloc has ever implemented.
