The latest round comes as Moscow and Washington negotiate on resolving the Ukraine conflict

The EU has agreed on a 16th package of Russia sanctions over the Ukraine conflict, several media outlets reported on Wednesday. The move, welcomed by the bloc's chief diplomat Kaja Kallas, comes despite recent efforts by Washington and Moscow to begin resolving the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Both the EU and the US have introduced multiple sanction packages in a joint effort to isolate Russia, since the escalation of the conflict in February 2022. The measures included cutting the country off from the Western financial system, severing almost all trade and energy links, as well as freezing Moscow's foreign reserves, a move the Kremlin has described as "theft."

The first meeting of Russian and American officials in three years have ignited a backlash within the EU, as member states accuse Washington of reopening dialogue with Moscow without prior consultation and sidelining Brussels from the negotiations.

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The measures, approved by permanent representatives of 27 EU member states, are still not entirely finalized, as EU foreign ministers are set to endorse them on Monday, AP has reported.

EU Commission President Ursula von Der Leyen has welcomed the latest move, saying on social media that Brussels is "clamping down even harder on circumvention" of the previously introduced measures by targeting more vessels shipping Russian crude oil and "imposing new import and export bans."

The fresh sanctions include a "phased-in" ban on EU members importing certain types of Russian aluminum products, the Financial Times has reported, citing people familiar with the contents.

The updated sanctions reportedly target 13 more banks and 73 more tankers used to ship Russian crude oil, as well as individuals. Additionally, the new restrictions will suspend the broadcasting licenses of eight Russian media outlets.

In January, Brussels prolonged the existing sanctions against Russia until the end of July. The restrictions already target a broad range of sectors and include trade embargoes, travel bans, and individual sanctions against Russian businessmen and public officials.

The Kremlin has denounced Western sanctions as illegal, repeatedly arguing that the restrictions have failed to destabilize the Russian economy or isolate it from the global financial system.

(RT.com)