EU Diplomat Seeks Sweeping Sanctions Against Russia Over Ukraine War

BERLIN: EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas said she wants to increase by one third the number of Russian entities sanctioned over the Ukraine war, German newspaper Die Welt reported Monday. The bloc has adopted 21 rounds of sanctions against Russia since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. "For autumn I am putting forward the most far-reaching sanctions listings since the start of the war," Kallas told Die Welt. "Once adopted, they would immediately raise the total number of sanctioned Russian entities by a third," she was quoted as saying. The comments came weeks after the EU adopted a watered down sanctions package that was approved after protracted negotiations among member states, some of whom objected to some of the tougher measures. The sanctions, which Kallas said have deprived Russia's war machine of "over €1 trillion", currently target 3,000 individuals and entities, according to the European Commission.