Strasbourg (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Adam Szlapka, Minister for European Affairs of Poland, confirmed the EU’s plan to approve the 16th package of sanctions against Russia. The sanction package will be adopted by the third anniversary of the start of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
Minister for European Affairs of Poland, who currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Council, said this in Strasbourg, speaking in the European Parliament as part of a plenary session committed to the third anniversary of the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.
He aslo confirmed to allocate a second tranche of EUR 1.9 billion from from frozen Russian assets in April of this year.
How will the EU use frozen Russian assets for Ukraine?
“We are also using the extraordinary revenues generated by immobilised Russian assets to help Ukraine’s self-defence and reconstruction. The first tranche of EUR 1.5 billion was released last summer, and a second tranche of EUR 1.9 billion is coming in April. In addition, the EU has subscribed to the G7 loan for Ukraine, where we are the main contributor. And our support is continuing. This year alone, EU support to Ukraine’s budget was over EUR 30 billion,”
He stated.
Szlapka remarked that the outcomes of this war go far beyond Ukraine, as Russia’s war of domination is a direct menace to Europe and the broader international system, which has polarised international relations, sabotaged the rules-based international order and generated a global problem, particularly in food and energy.
When did the EU impose the 15th sanction package?
Earlier, on December 16, 2024, the European Union approved its 15th sanctions package against Russia. Sanctions limit Russia’s ability to wage its war in Ukraine. Among the measures included in the package are adding to the list of asset-freezing orders 54 individuals and 30 entities.
These include senior managers in major Russian energy companies and entities involved in supporting Russia’s military-industrial complex. This is the first time that Chinese companies supplying drone components and microelectronic parts to support Russia’s war effort are listed.
