KYIV (Reuters) – Kyiv urged the European Union on Thursday to begin work “as soon as possible” on an 11th package of sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Oleh Nikolenko said Kyiv was grateful for the measures implemented by Brussels so far, but that the 10th package adopted last month stopped short of punishing Russia’s nuclear and IT sectors.
“The reality is that Russia still has access to huge financial and technological resources,” he said in a statement, estimating their worth at hundreds of millions of dollars.
“This is why it is not time to relax sanctions pressure while war continues in the heart of Europe.”
He added: “Without in any way diminishing the importanсe of eliminating loopholes for circumventing sanctions, we are convinced that the EU must begin preparations to adopt the next, 11th package of sanctions.”
Russia launched it full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said last month the bloc would continue to pile more sanctions on Moscow “for as long as needed”.
The 10th package included tighter export restrictions regarding dual-use goods as well as measures against entities supporting the war, spreading propaganda or delivering drones used by Russia.
It did not include Russia’s nuclear energy sector because of opposition from some EU member states.
Ukraine’s energy minister issued a new call for sanctions against Russia’s nuclear energy sector at a conference in Croatia on Thursday.
(Reporting by Dan Peleschuk, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
