Thread by @DaveKeating

🇪🇺President @VonDerLeyen now announcing an 8th package of #RussiaSanctions

"Last week #Russia has escalated the war in #Ukraine to a new level. The sham referenda organized in the territories that 🇷🇺 occupied, are an illegal attempt to grab land and change intl borders by force"

"We do not accept the sham referenda," says 🇪🇺President @VonDerLeyen, "or any type of annexation in Ukraine."

"And we are determined to make the Kremlin pay for this further escalation."

The new #RussiaSanctions include:

🙅‍♂️1300 more people & entities on targeted list
🚚"Sweeping" ban on Russian imports worth €7bn
💾More key technologies banned from export to Russia
🕴️Ban on EU nationals on Russian company boards
🛢️Price cap on Russian oil for 3rd countries

Also, significantly, 🇪🇺President @VonDerLeyen says that third country nationals (🇹🇷🇮🇳🇨🇳🇧🇷 for instance) will from now on be subject to EU sanctions themselves if they help Russia avoid sanctions.

For instance, VDL says, if they buy EU products and sell them in Russia.

🇪🇺@JosepBorrellF adds that people spreading false information about the war, or donating funds to the Russian-occupied areas, will be added to #sanctions list.

"Sanctions work, sanctions matter, but they have to be maintained over time and ensure that they are not circumvented"

Many of the elements of this 8th round of 🇪🇺#RussiaSanctions were expected but we did get several interesting new elements, such as introducing the idea of sanctioning 3rd country nationals who help skirt sanctions and sanctioning people who donate funds to the occupied areas.