Ukraines terms the measures ‘timely and necessary’

The move comes as European countries start to buy US weapons for Ukraine to help it better defend itself

AP Brussels

The European Union and Britain on Friday ramped up pressure on Russia over its war on Ukraine, targeting Moscow's energy sector, shadow fleet of aging oil tankers and military intelligence service with new sanctions.

"The message is clear: Europe will not back down in its support for Ukraine. The EU will keep raising the pressure until Russia ends its war," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said after the bloc agreed its new measures, including a new oil price cap.

Kallas said it's "one of its strongest sanctions packages against Russia to date" linked to the war, now in its fourth year. It comes as European countries start to buy US weapons for Ukraine to help the country better defend itself. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the new measures, describing them as a "timely and necessary" step amid intensified Russian attacks.

"All infrastructure of Russia's war must be blocked," Zelenskyy said, adding that Ukraine will synchronize its sanctions with the EU and introduce its own additional measures soon. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov brushed off the EU move, saying that "we consider such unilateral restrictions unlawful".

"At the same time, we have acquired certain immunity from sanctions. We have adapted to living under sanctions," Peskov said in a conference call with reporters. "We will need to analyse the new package in order to minimise negative consequences from it."  

The UK, meanwhile, imposed sanctions on units of Russia's military intelligence service, GRU. Also added to the list were 18 officers the UK said helped to plan a bomb attack on a theatre in southern Ukraine in 2022 and to target the family of a former Russian spy who was later poisoned with a nerve agent.

Hundreds of civilians sheltering in the theatre in Mariupol were killed in March 2022, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine."GRU spies are running a campaign to destabilise Europe, undermine Ukraine's sovereignty and threaten the safety of British citizens," UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said.

NATO also condemned Russia's cyberattacks, saying in a statement that "we will respond to these at a time and in a manner of our choosing, in accordance with international law, and in coordination with our international partners including the EU".

The European Commission, the EU's executive branch, had proposed to lower the oil price cap from $60 to $45, which is lower than the market price, to target Russia's vast energy revenues.  The 27 member countries decided to set the price per barrel at just under $48.

The EU had hoped to get major international powers in the Group of Seven countries involved in the price cap to broaden the impact, but the Trump administration could not be brought onboard.