European Union countries have reached an agreement on a new sanctions package to be imposed on Russia. These sanctions will target aluminum imports and the shadow fleet from Russia. Member countries of the European Union (EU) have agreed on new sanctions that ban aluminum imports from Russia and target the Russian shadow fleet. Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the EU Commission, announced on her social media account that EU countries had reached an agreement on the 16th sanctions package prepared in light of the anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war on February 24. SANCTIONS TARGETING THE SHADOW FLEET The package, which aims at Russian ships in the shadow fleet and implements new import and export bans on the country, was highlighted by von der Leyen, who stated, “I welcome the agreement on our 16th sanctions package.” Von der Leyen also pointed out that measures had been taken against bypassing the sanctions and reiterated their determination to keep pressure on the Kremlin. Under the newly unshared details of the sanctions, there will be a gradual ban on Russian aluminum product imports to the EU, and measures targeting crude oil sales will be further tightened. Furthermore, 73 shadow fleet tankers used by Russia to bypass restrictions on crude oil exports, along with certain Russian banks, individuals, and companies, will be added to the sanctions list. 15 SANCTIONS PACKAGES ALREADY IMPLEMENTED So far, the EU has implemented 15 sanctions packages against Russia due to the war. These sanctions cover a broad range of restrictions, including trade, finance, energy (including oil and coal), industry, technology, transportation, dual-use and luxury goods, as well as gold and diamonds. Sanctions include bans on seaborne crude oil and some petroleum products exports from Russia to the EU, removal of some Russian banks from the SWIFT international payment system, and suspension of activities by numerous media outlets, among others. The EU’s sanctions list includes over 2,000 individuals and institutions.