EU Cheers US Sanctions, Prepares Own ’19th Package’

The European Union is cheering the Trump administration’s new sanctions on Russian oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil, confirming that its own “19th package” of measures is “imminent.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised the US action as a “clear signal from both sides of the Atlantic that we will keep up collective pressure on the aggressor.” She confirmed she had spoken with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
The EU’s new package is expected to be aggressive, targeting Russian LNG for the first time, as well as the “shadow fleet” of oil tankers and banks helping Russia evade sanctions. It will also reportedly limit the movement of Russian diplomats.
The US sanctions, the first of the new Trump term, are aimed at cutting off revenue for Putin’s “war machine.” Bessent blamed Putin’s “refusal to end this senseless war” for the action.
The coordinated economic pressure comes as high-level diplomacy has faltered. President Trump confirmed on Wednesday that he had cancelled a planned summit with Vladimir Putin.