Europe Imposes Unprecedented Sanctions on Russia to Stop the War in Ukraine

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian announced that the European Union is set to impose a new package of sanctions on Russia, described as the harshest in three years, in an attempt to increase pressure on Moscow to halt its military operation in Ukraine.

Le Drian confirmed during his interview with the French channel "LCI" that these sanctions are being imposed "in coordination with members of the US Senate, based on French proposals," noting that they will be the most severe since the start of the crisis.

The new measures will target the Russian energy sector, especially oil revenues, as well as financial institutions and intermediary companies in other countries suspected of assisting Russia in evading previous sanctions, according to Russian media reports.

The French minister explained that the primary goal of this step is to "deprive Russia of the resources that enable it to continue the war," within the framework of ongoing European efforts to end the conflict that erupted in February 2022.

It is worth mentioning that the European Union has imposed 17 packages of sanctions on Russia so far, which are updated every six months with the approval of all 27 member states.

On the other hand, Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to adhere to his position of refusing to stop military operations before achieving what he called "the core objectives," as reported by Agence France-Presse.

Russia's official demands include Ukraine's concession of areas partially under Russian control, recognition of the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, and abandonment of any aspirations to join NATO.

Meanwhile, Kyiv rejects these demands in full and insists on the complete withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukrainian territories, of which Moscow still controls about a fifth to this day.