New EU sanctions against Russia to target coal imports, shipping and road transport

On Wednesday, EU members will discuss the proposed ban on Russian coal imports as part of a new package of sanctions which includes cutting off transport links.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen proposed closing EU ports to Russian vessels and banning Russian and Belarusian road transport operators.

“This ban will drastically limit the options for the Russian industry to obtain key goods,” she said.

EU ambassadors will discuss the new sanctions on Wednesday. 

The coal import ban is one of the most significant sanctions because Russia supplied about 70% of thermal coal to the EU last year.

The US is also expected to announce a ban on new investment in Russia while increasing sanctions on the country’s financial institutions, state-owned enterprises and government officials.

The pressure to introduce new sanctions has increased following claims that Russian forces have committed war crimes.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky called for Russian leaders to be “brought to justice” for committing war crimes in his country as he blasted the UN for failing to prevent the conflict.

Von der Leyen said the new sanctions would include a  “full transaction ban” on four Russian banks, including VTB, adding that these would now be “totally cut off from the markets”.