Zelenskyy expresses gratitude for 18th package of EU sanctions against Russia: . This decision essential and timely, especially now
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President António Costa and each leader of the EU countries "for consolidation and a common principled position" in approving the 18th package of sanctions against Russia.
“A decision by the European Union that we all worked for together. We managed to strengthen the 18th package of sanctions against Russia for this war, and today the package has been approved. I thank everyone who contributed to this,” he said on X Friday.
The President especially recognized “European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and each EU member state leader for their unity and principled stance. I thank President of the European Council António Costa. “I also thank Denmark for a truly strong start to its EU Presidency. 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,” Zelenskyy said.
He noted that the 18th sanctions package continues to target Russia’s tanker fleet – “not only the vessels themselves, but also the captains of the shadow fleet and the companies enabling such oil-financed acts of killing. We will continue applying this pressure.”
“The European Union is also imposing a stricter price cap on Russian oil – around $46 per barrel. In coordination with other global partners, we will continue working to ensure that the price cap truly cuts Russia’s revenues. This is possible. We already know how to effectively exert this pressure,” Zelenskyy stressed.
“I would also like to highlight the EU’s decision to ban all transactions related to the gas pipelines of the Nord Stream system, the construction of which was part of Putin’s preparation for the full-scale war. All infrastructure of Russia’s war must be blocked,” Zelenskyy added.
According to him, the synchronization of European sanctions in Ukraine is currently being prepared, as well as new decisions on sanctions - both at the partner level and in the Ukrainian jurisdiction.
As reported, the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the EU (Coreper) approved the 18th package of EU sanctions against Russia on the morning of July 18.
As noted by High Representative of the European Union Kaja Kallas, the EU approved one of the strongest packages of sanctions against Russia since the beginning of the full-scale war.
“We’re cutting the Kremlin’s war budget further, going after 105 more shadow fleet ships, their enablers, and limiting Russian banks’ access to funding,” she said on X.