EU foreign policy chief plans major expansion of Russia sanctions

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced plans on Monday to introduce the most extensive sanctions package against Russia since the war began. The Estonian diplomat told German newspaper Welt that the proposed measures would immediately expand the list of sanctioned entities by one-third if adopted.

Expanded sanctions package

Kallas said the legislation would be presented in the autumn, building on existing punitive measures against the Kremlin. "In the fall, I will present the most far-reaching sanctions list since the beginning of the war. If it is adopted, the number of sanctioned Russian individuals, companies and organizations will immediately increase by one-third," she said. She added that recent US Senate passage of sanctions legislation in early August had raised hopes for closer transatlantic coordination on economic pressure.

Hybrid threats

The EU's top diplomat warned that European security faces mounting challenges from Russian covert operations. "Europe is facing an increasing hybrid threat. Sabotage, espionage and cyberattacks are in most cases attributable to Moscow," Kallas stated. She noted recent incidents where Russian missiles and drones breached Polish and Romanian airspace, adding: "Such incidents are unacceptable, and they show Moscow's growing ruthlessness. If we respond too weakly, we will see even more such incidents."

Regional conflicts

Kallas also addressed the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz amid hostilities between Washington and Tehran, stressing that unrestricted navigation remained essential for global energy markets. "It is obvious that the two sides do not trust each other. The world is paying a high price for the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Freedom of navigation must remain unrestricted and must not be burdened by fees," she said. Regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, she maintained that "the only long-term solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians remains the two-state solution, which would enable both sides to live safely alongside each other," while warning that increasing settler violence and the lack of progress on Hamas' disarmament are undermining such progress.