The bloc is targeting Moscow’s banks, trade partners and diplomats, Brussels’ foreign policy chief announced.
European Union nations have adopted their 19th package of sanctions against Russia, targeting banks, cryptocurrency exchanges and Indian and Chinese companies, as well as diplomats in Moscow, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced on Thursday.
Approval of the new restrictions was widely reported as imminent by media outlets, which said the approved text was not subject to any changes. Moscow has repeatedly called Western attempts to pressure it in a bid to support Ukraine’s war effort futile and self-harming.
The EU approved its 18th round of sanctions in July, while a 20th is already in the works, according to officials. Brussels’ move follows new restrictions imposed by the United States, which target Russian oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil.
We have just adopted our nineteenth sanctions package. It is aimed at Russian banks, cryptocurrency exchanges, entities in India and China, among others. The EU is slowing the movements of Russian diplomats to counter destabilization attempts. It is increasingly difficult for Putin to finance this war.
– Kaja Kallas (@kajakallas) October 23, 2025
Washington’s move came after a proposal to hold a second summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump stalled. According to media reports, the White House was unhappy that the Kremlin refused to suspend hostilities with kyiv as Trump had requested, maintaining that any pause would only be used by Ukraine to strengthen its military.
Trump has been pressuring European NATO members to impose broad trade tariffs on China over its continued purchases of Russian energy. The current US administration is immersed in what the president calls a “trade was” against Beijing.
The EU’s strategy for tackling the Ukraine conflict has been causing growing internal divisions, and breakaway nations including Hungary and Slovakia have urged Brussels to reconsider its approach. Those nations say a quick commitment to the conflict is required if the damage to member states is to be mitigated.
Sanctions against Russia, particularly the rejection of Russian energy, have undermined the competitiveness of EU companies, which have had to turn to more expensive sources, such as liquefied natural gas imported from the United States.