The EU has approved another package of sanctions against Russia. The main thing

On May 20, the Council of the European Union (EU) approved the 17th package of anti-Russian sanctions. Among other restrictions, the new sanctions affected about 200 vessels of the shadow fleet, which the EU authorities associate with Russia. Which companies are included in the 17th package, which the EU representatives themselves called "rather weak", is in the Izvestia article.

From approval to acceptance

The new package of sanctions was agreed on May 14 by the ambassadors of the EU countries. Then it was approved, including by representatives of Hungary and Slovakia, who had previously opposed the new sanctions. These countries agreed to the 17th package, calling it "relatively weak."

The day before the adoption of the new package, a telephone conversation took place between the presidents of Russia and the United States, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. After him, Trump said that US sanctions against Russia would not be tightened, as there was a chance to achieve a settlement of the conflict in Ukraine. In addition, the head of the White House admitted that the United States may cede its role to Europe.

Earlier, European leaders, in turn, stated that the new package had been agreed with the United States, and they were united in putting pressure on Russia to speed up negotiations.

Tauric Chersonesos and the production of drones

The new EU sanctions list includes 17 individuals and 58 legal entities. This time, it included not only industrial companies, but also cultural institutions. Thus, the State Museum-Reserve "Taurian Chersonesos" and its director Elena Morozova were subject to restrictions. Among the reasons for the imposition of sanctions against them, it is noted that the museum "actively damaged the cultural heritage of Ukraine by spreading pro-Russian ideas about the cultural significance of artifacts and excavation sites under its jurisdiction."

Weapons companies and those involved in the production of drones were also sanctioned. These included LLC Unmanned Systems, LLC Center for Integrated Unmanned Solutions, NPO Rustekhdron, Airburg, KB Stratim and NPC Ushkuynik.

In addition, the sanctions list includes Surgutneftegaz, the Atlas Mining gold miner, the Russian Ministry of Defense's Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Troops, Volga Shipping Company, and Sergey Kogogin, CEO of KamAZ.

In addition to Russian legal entities, the list includes several companies from China, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey, as exporters and carriers of Russian oil. One company from Israel, Texel FCG Technology Ltd, was also sanctioned. She was accused of helping to evade sanctions by supplying the Russian defense industry with foreign electronics.

Thus, China, against the background of a new package of sanctions, called on the European Union to avoid double standards in relations with Russia. According to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning, despite the imposition of sanctions against Russia, many countries, including the EU and the United States, continue to trade with Russia.

Future prospects

Stanislav Naumov, deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy, told Izvestia that sanctions against Russia are a tool of complacency for the European Union. According to him, the global experience of applying sanctions, using the example of Iran, suggests that they are more of a decorative gesture.

The countries that faced sanctions reacted adequately to the measures, imposing symmetrical retaliatory restrictions, or building a new system of interactions with other markets. Sanctions do not cause any problems for Russia, therefore, this topic on the part of the European Union is a waste of time, the deputy concluded.

At the same time, the disagreement on the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine may lead to a cooling of relations between the EU and the United States, as evidenced by Trump's reluctance to tighten sanctions against Russia, said political analyst Ivan Mezyuho.

When writing the material, Izvestia took into account the opinions of:

— Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy Stanislav Naumov.

— political scientist Ivan Mezyuho.