Raw materials preparation: EU plans to tighten oil sanctions against Russia
The European Union wants to include in the new package of sanctions against Russia a complete ban on services related to the trade in Russian oil, the European Parliament told Izvestia. Brussels also plans to combat circumvention of existing restrictions. Meanwhile, Finland and Sweden insist on banning the export of luxury goods to Russia. At the same time, experts emphasize that the next restrictions will not affect the trade in Russian hydrocarbons in any way, and together, the EU's policy in this area has long acquired a symbolic character. The information about what measures may be included in the 20th package of sanctions that the EU wants to adopt by February 24 is in the Izvestia article.
EU oil sanctions against Russia
The 20th package of sanctions is being prepared in Brussels. They want to include a ban on services related to the trade in Russian oil, Czech MEP Tomasz Zdechowski told Izvestia. According to him, the final date for the adoption of new restrictions depends on the ability of the EU member states to reach a consensus on this issue. Earlier, the media reported on Brussels' plans to introduce restrictions by February 24.
— Work on further sanctions against the Russian Federation continues. This is a (new package. It includes tightening control over compliance with measures already in place, closing loopholes and expanding restrictions in sensitive sectors. Measures related to maritime trade and services related to Russian oil are part of these discussions, as Russia continues to rely on energy exports to finance its military aggression, the politician said.
It should be noted that the Russian authorities have repeatedly rejected accusations of aggressive actions. Moscow emphasizes that a special military operation is being conducted in Ukraine, the purpose of which is the demilitarization and denazification of this country.
European officials will probably continue to do the same thing as recorded in the latest sanctions packages: impose restrictions on individual companies involved in the transportation of Russian oil and increase the number of sanctioned tankers, Alexander Frolov, Deputy Director General of the Institute of National Energy, editor-in-chief of InfoTEK, told Izvestia.
— Most likely, short-lived firms based in Dubai and Hong Kong will again be targeted. They will also introduce some restrictions against subsidiaries and grandsons of the main players in the Russian oil market," the expert said.
The European Commission, in response to a request from Izvestia, declined to comment on the adoption of a new package of sanctions. The European Union introduced the 19th list of measures against Russia at the end of October 2025. At the moment, the restrictions already adopted apply to various companies that trade in Russian oil, as well as tankers that are not under the jurisdiction of the EU and the G7 countries. Hungary and Slovakia, which retain the opportunity to buy pipeline raw materials from the Russian Federation via the Druzhba oil pipeline, fall under the exceptions.
At the same time, there will be no problems for companies that fall under the restrictions. According to Frolov, it is enough for them to change the name in order to circumvent the sanctions. As for the tankers, according to the expert, they will continue to transport oil, as they did before. And the sanctions imposed have no effect on this: energy resources still flow from the Russian Federation to other countries.
"Depending on how wide the new restrictions are, there may be a pause of two to three months when exports become more complicated, but this will not have a strong impact on total volumes," the expert explained.
Perhaps the European Union will try to check and detain tankers in ports more often, but the union does not have the strength to stop the entire flow.
What other restrictions will be included in the 20th package of sanctions
According to Euractiv, citing sources, Finland and Sweden insist on a complete ban on the export of luxury goods to Russia. Interestingly, EU countries are already prohibited from selling luxury goods in Russia over €300, but brands such as Gucci, Bottega Veneta and Saint Laurent continue to enter the country, albeit with a large margin. Thus, many goods are re-exported to Russia from China, Turkey and other countries.
Another measure being discussed in Brussels is aimed at reducing EU import quotas for Russian fertilizers. If this information is correct, then this is almost the only limitation that has an economic justification, Egor Sergeev, a senior researcher at the MGIMO Institute of International Studies at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, said in a conversation with Izvestia.
According to him, this is due to the fact that Russian chemists are traditionally perceived in the EU as serious competitors. Otherwise, the next package of sanctions is a symbolic attempt by the EU to express its protest against the policy of the Russian Federation.
— For the European Union, the imposition of sanctions is already a kind of inertia. From a political point of view, the continuation of pressure is based on a kind of "serial" logic, in which the one-time introduction of restrictions, having caused a loud effect once, then ceases to excite the audience. In the case of permanent, regular introduction of new restrictions, the appearance of involvement in the process remains, and the impression of active actions on the external circuit is created," the expert noted.
The next round of negotiations on EU sanctions fits into the logic of confrontation with Russia, and therefore there is no reason to expect a curtailment of this line, says Artyom Purchun, an employee of the Faculty of World Economy and World Politics at the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the National Research University Higher School of Economics.
— Most likely, the 20th package will be only an intermediate stage. It is significant that we are talking about the 20th anniversary list of restrictive measures: the intention to coincide it with February 24 reinforces the symbolic dimension of the sanctions policy and emphasizes its political and ideological nature," he told Izvestia.
At the same time, it is obvious that not all EU members share this policy, which is gradually leading to a split within the bloc. In June 2025, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that anti-Russian sanctions were destroying his country and the whole of Europe. "The EU is coping poorly with the conflict in Ukraine, and the sanctions policy is also failing. We have lost €20 billion in three years due to sanctions. A strategic agreement with Russia is needed, but only a strong Europe can conclude it," the politician stressed.
This position is shared by Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who previously refused to support the EC's decision to stop any Russian gas supplies from January 1, 2028. In the Russian Federation, they believe that European restrictions not only do not work, but also harm the EU countries themselves. As Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov emphasized earlier, anti-Russian sanctions have exacerbated the crisis in the global economy.
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