The European Union has adopted its 18th sanctions package against Russia following a last-minute deal with Slovakia, which lifted its opposition after receiving energy-related guarantees from the European Commission.
The agreement was reached during an emergency meeting of EU ambassadors in Brussels on Friday morning, clearing the way for what EU officials hailed as the bloc’s toughest sanctions yet.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas described the new measures as “one of the strongest sanctions packages against Russia to date,” saying it would “cut the Kremlin’s war budget further” by targeting more than 100 additional shadow fleet vessels, Russian banks, military-industrial suppliers, and Chinese institutions involved in sanctions evasion. The sanctions also introduce a stricter cap on Russian oil and extend export bans on dual-use technology and drone components.
“We’re going after 105 more shadow fleet ships, their enablers, and limiting Russian banks’ access to funding,” Kallas said. “For the first time, we’re designating a flag registry and the biggest Rosneft refinery in India. Our sanctions also hit those indoctrinating Ukrainian children. We will keep raising the costs, so stopping the aggression becomes the only path forward for Moscow.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen echoed that sentiment, declaring, “We are striking at the heart of Russia’s war machine. The pressure is on. It will stay on until Putin ends this war.”
Slovakia had previously blocked the package due to its opposition to a separate Commission proposal, REPowerEU, that would phase out Russian gas imports by 2028. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced Thursday evening that he had received sufficient assurances from von der Leyen regarding Slovakia’s energy needs and the economic impact of phasing out Russian gas.
“The confirmed guarantees relate to the price of gas and its potential shortage, transportation fees, as well as the possibility of triggering a crisis situation,” Fico said in a video address, calling the Commission’s initial gas proposal “imbecile.” While allowing the sanctions vote to proceed, he made clear that Slovakia would now enter a new phase of resistance to the REPowerEU gas plan.
“The second stage of our fight with the European Commission on the issue of Russian gas begins immediately after that,” he said.
Fico’s decision to lift the veto came after a series of negotiations with EU leaders and a personal letter from von der Leyen, offering cooperation on energy security, reduced gas prices, legal protections, and potential compensation from European funds.
In a post on Facebook, he insisted his opposition was not “extortion,” but a “defense of Slovak interests.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the sanctions and thanked EU leaders for their determination in pushing them through.
“This decision is essential and timely, especially now, as a response to the fact that Russia has intensified the brutality of the strikes on our cities and villages,” he said, emphasizing that the updated oil price cap would reduce Russia’s revenues and praised the ban on all transactions related to the Nord Stream pipeline system, which he said had been a critical part of Moscow’s long-term preparations for war.
He added that Ukraine was working to synchronize its own sanctions regime with the new EU measures and would introduce additional penalties under Ukrainian jurisdiction.
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