The European Commission officially presented the twentieth sanctions package against the Russian Federation in response to its ongoing aggression against Ukraine. This was announced by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on February 6.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Strengthening Sanctions and New Restrictions
In her statement, von der Leyen emphasized that Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine will soon reach 1500 days. She highlighted that over the past year, Russian troops have only managed to advance a short distance – between 15 to 70 meters a day, capturing approximately 0.8% of Ukraine’s territory. This occurred despite the fact that the level of casualties among Russian military personnel is the highest since World War II.
“Throughout the past year, Russian troops advanced an average of 15 to 70 meters a day. They have captured only about 0.8% of Ukraine’s territory, despite the highest level of casualties from any military offensive since World War II,” von der Leyen emphasized.
Key Measures of the Package
The new sanctions package covers a range of sectors, including energy, financial services, and trade. In particular, the European Commission proposes a complete ban on maritime transport of Russian crude oil, which is expected to further reduce Russia’s budget revenues from energy exports and complicate the search for buyers for these products. Additionally, 43 vessels have been added to the list of the so-called “shadow fleet,” bringing the total number to 640 units. These measures complement the ban on the import of liquefied natural gas, introduced by the previous sanctions package and the RepowerEU Regulation.
Among other measures is a proposal to include another 20 Russian regional banks in the sanctions list and to impose new restrictions on the export of goods and services – from rubber to tractors and cybersecurity services worth over 360 million euros.
To counteract sanctions evasion, a special tool for combating circumvention of restrictions will be activated for the first time this time. This involves a ban on the export of machines with numerical control and radio stations to countries where there is a high risk of re-exporting such products to Russia. The President of the European Commission urged member states to agree on this sanctions package as soon as possible.
Previously, the 19th sanctions package, which was adopted in October 2025, was also aimed at reducing Russia’s income from energy, increasing financial pressure, and preventing circumvention of restrictions through third countries. According to the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, the twentieth sanctions package is planned to be officially approved on February 24, 2026.