The head of the European Council compared sanctions against Russia with "tightening the noose"

New packages of sanctions against Russia are aimed at preventing attempts to circumvent already imposed restrictions, said the head of the European Council, Charles Michel, in an interview with Le Soir.

“Each next package is aimed at tightening the loop and preventing attempts to circumvent [sanctions],” he said. According to Michel, the EU has already introduced the main restrictions - sanctions against fossil fuels. “Once you have taken the main measures, there are not many additional things that you can do,” he explained.

In early February, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von Leyen, announced that the EU was preparing the tenth package of sanctions against Russia, which they intend to introduce before February 24. According to her, the sanctions include, among other things, export restrictions in the amount of €11 billion.

The details of the new sanctions package were published by Bloomberg, citing sources among European officials. According to the agency, the EU is going to impose sanctions against Alfa-Bank, Rosbank and Tinkoff Bank, as well as ban Russian citizens from holding positions in European infrastructure companies.

Reuters, citing sources, wrote that the EU could ban more "Russian propaganda media" and exclude more Russian banks from the SWIFT interbank information transfer system. Other proposals include restrictions against Rosatom and its leadership.

Politico, citing sources, reported that on February 15, EU ambassadors could not agree on a new package of sanctions due to a clause banning the import of Russian synthetic rubber. Countries such as Italy and Germany are skeptical of the measure, while Poland is in favor of the restriction.

Politico notes that the production of synthetic rubber annually brings Russia billions of dollars in revenue. So, in 2021, it exported synthetic rubber for almost $2 billion, of which $700 million came from the EU.