EU's 19th package of Russia sanctions affects Russian gas sector for 1st time - Commission

Earlier in the day, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that the bloc had adopted the 19th package of Russia sanctions.

"EU Member States have approved our 19th package of sanctions against Russia. We're keeping the pressure high on the aggressor.

"For the first time we are hitting Russia's gas sector - the heart of its war economy. We will not relent until the people of Ukraine have a just and lasting peace," von der Leyen wrote on X.

According to the Estonian Foreign Ministry, the new EU sanctions package against Russia includes 21 individuals and 42 legal entities.

"The sanctions list has been expanded to include 63 new entries (21 individuals and 42 entities), including companies and international partners supporting Russia's military industry," the ministry said in a statement.

Over 117 vessels were also added to the sanctions list, the statement said, adding that the restrictions now affect over 560 vessels.

"Russian diplomats and consular staff accredited to an EU member state will now be required to notify authorities if they intend to travel to or transit through another member state. In addition, each member state may impose a requirement to obtain prior authorisation in addition to notification," the statement read.

The new sanctions package also includes a ban on participation in and financing of contracts with companies operating in Russia's special economic and innovation zones, the ministry added.

"In the financial sector, a transaction ban has been imposed on five Russian banks, and restrictions have been introduced on the provision of crypto-asset services to Russian nationals," the statement read.

In Beijing, China has opposed sanctions that are not approved by the UN Security Council, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Thursday, commenting on the recent US sanctions against Russian companies.

On Wednesday, the US Department of the Treasury said that Washington is imposing sanctions on Russia's major oil companies, Lukoil and Rosneft, as well as their subsidiaries, over the country's alleged lack of commitment to ending the Ukraine conflict.

"China has always opposed any actions that have no basis in international law and are not sanctioned by the UN Security Council," Guo told reporters.

US President Donald Trump was reported to have said in Washington on Wednesday that he decided to ramp up sanctions against Russia because he "felt it was time."

"I just felt it was time. I waited a long time ... Look, these are tremendous sanctions. These are against their two big oil companies. And we hope that they will not be on for long," Trump said during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

--BERNAMA-SPUTNIK/RIA NOVOSTI