Russian invasion

Negotiations
Reported meeting between Lavrov and Rubio held in Manila

The foreign ministers of the US and Russia have now met, the news agencies write. The agenda included the war in Ukraine, the war in Iran and future areas of cooperation, but they did not say what Marco Rubio and Sergey Lavrov actually came up with.

– The war in Ukraine has in many ways made it difficult for Russia and the US to reach an agreement in other areas, said Marco Rubio, when he met the press.

– It is positive to be able to ask questions and get answers, said Sergey Lavrov.

The meeting took place in connection with an ASEAN conference between eleven Southeast Asian countries in Manila.

Sanctions
EU freezes price ceiling and takes aim at the shadow fleet

The EU freezes the price ceiling on Russian crude oil for 12 months at $44.10 per barrel with the new sanctions package. The decision, according to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, is intended to ensure that Russia is not able to benefit from higher oil prices due to the war in the Middle East, AFP reports. She also stated that the EU is now “for the first time” targeting the Russian shadow fleet.

The package adds 32 more Russian banks, as well as crypto companies and trading platforms, to the EU’s list of prohibited transactions. In total, sanctions are being imposed on 218 people and companies and 40 ships linked to the Russian shadow fleet, writes EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on X.

However, the proposal for a visa ban that would have prevented Russians who fought in Ukraine from entering the EU is rejected. According to diplomats AFP spoke to, the new agreement only contains a commitment to work towards a ban in the future.

EU agrees on sanctions package after weeks of negotiations

EU ambassadors have agreed on a 21st sanctions package against Russia, an EU diplomat told AFP. The envoys are said to have agreed on a new proposal with an exception for the transshipment of Russian fossil gas to third countries for one year, with automatic extension, according to information to Reuters.

The negotiations have previously been postponed, partly because Greece has protested against a ban on the transport of liquefied fossil gas from Russia, which is believed to affect Greek shipping companies.

Russian invasion • Sanctions
Source: EU does not agree on new sanctions against Russia

EU ambassadors do not agree on a 21st sanctions package against Russia, an EU diplomat told Reuters.

The envoys will meet again tomorrow, the source added.

The EU has been trying to reach a compromise with Greece, which wanted to change some of the sanctions.

These mainly concern an import ban and a ban on the transport of liquefied natural gas from Russia. Athens has previously argued that Russia would not be harmed by such a ban. Instead, the country will turn