The European Union (EU) agreed to impose new sanctions on Russia and threaten to impose additional sanctions if Moscow continues to reject a 30-day unconditional ceasefire proposed by the White House and countries in the "voluntary alliance".
The major move comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin speak out about direct peace talks in Turkey on May 15.
The preliminary agreement on the new sanctions, the 17th package since February 2022, was signed on the morning of May 15 at a meeting of EU ambassadors and is expected to be formally approved by foreign ministers next week.
Hungary, which has opposed a two-term extension of Russian sanctions, has not opposed the EU's 17th package of sanctions.
Euronews said the main target of the 17th sanctions is the "shadow fleet" used in Russian oil trading.
So far, the EU has sanctioned 153 oil tankers from shadow fleets. All of these vessels are denied access to EU ports and services. The latest sanctions are expected to add nearly 200 more vessels to the list, bringing the total number of vessels sanctioned to more than 350.
Diplomats revealed that this package of Russian sanctions also blacklists 75 individuals and businesses related to Russia's military industrial complex and more than 30 companies suspected of supplying Russia with dual-use goods banned by Western allies.
