Imposing additional sanctions against the shadow fleet will help cut off one of the Kremlin’s most important revenue streams and increase pressure on Vladimir Putin to drop his maximalist demands in any peace deal with Ukraine, the news outlet wrote.
The new sanctions package, expected to be introduced in late June or early July, will also likely target Russian banks, financial institutions, and military-industrial companies, as well as firms selling stolen Ukrainian grain, seven EU officials said.
The EU is also looking to impose sanctions on senior members of the Russian Orthodox Church, notably its leader Patriarch Kirill, a close ally of Putin's. These measures were earlier blocked by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Politico wrote.
The European Commission may also revive the idea of a ban on maritime services for Russian vessels, which has so far been blocked by Malta and Greece, one diplomat revealed.
“Russia's economy is the worst internally it has been since the start of the war," one senior EU official said.
"It really is the moment to push for more because Russia is not doing well."
Ukraine is now in a much better position following the approval of the $105 billion loan from the EU and Ukraine’s long-range UAV strikes against Russia, he added.
EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are determined to double down on this “momentum” and "want a big package" of sanctions, said a second senior EU official directly involved in preparing the sanctions.
On April 23, the European Council approved the 20th sanctions package against Russia, which targeted 120 new individuals and entities. It was the largest sanction package in the past two years.
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said the EU had begun work on a 21st package of sanctions against Russia, which “will be quite tough on Russia’s energy exports.”