EU may sanction Uzbek companies over energy trade with Russia

EU member state ambassadors have preliminarily agreed on the 17th package of sanctions targeting Russia. The sanctions are expected to affect ships that are part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” as well as companies based in China, the UAE, Turkey, Serbia, Vietnam, and Uzbekistan. According to reports from Bloomberg and the Financial Times (FT), these companies are allegedly helping Russia bypass restrictions on energy sales.

According to the FT, the sanctions will target 149 tankers and 60 companies, though their names have not been disclosed.

The official adoption of the sanctions package is expected next week.

“These measures are intended to maintain pressure on Moscow. At the same time, Europe fears that the United States may pull out of negotiations following the limited success of President Donald Trump’s efforts to broker a ceasefire,” the report states.

It should be noted that if Moscow refuses to agree to a ceasefire, the EU is preparing to announce its next round of sanctions against Russia.