The European Union (EU) countries and Britain agreed to the imposition of new sanctions this Wednesday in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. On the EU side, this includes blacklisting more oligarchs and Russian politicians and cutting three Belarusian banks from Swift’s international communications system.

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(Due to the public interest generated by the events between Russia and Ukraine, all our coverage of the invasion and related actions will have free access to all readers of EL TIEMPO).

In addition to the new restrictive measures, adopted by the permanent representatives of the Twenty-Seven, sanctions aimed at the maritime sector were also added, “they clarify the issue of cryptocurrencies and complete the list of technologies and goods that cannot be exported,” the French presidency reported on its official Twitter account.

What actions did the UK approve?

The UK government on Wednesday delivered a new package of sanctions that strengthens London’s authority to stop and expel “any Russian aircraft” in the UK, while imposing further restrictions on trade.

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss explained in a statement that she had “strengthened the current ban” on Russian aircraft, through a new law that makes it a “criminal offense” for them to “fly or land” in the country.

The ban covers “any aircraft” that is “owned, operated or chartered” by persons associated with Russia or by “designated individuals or entities”.

“The new law will allow the government to remove aircraft belonging to designated Russian individuals and entities from the UK air registry,” the note added.

According to Truss, the additional trade sanctions announced today will prevent
British exports to Russia of “aviation or aerospace products and technologies”, including “services related to insurance and reinsurance”.

“Banning Russian-flagged aircraft into the UK and making their flights a criminal offence would inflict further economic damage on Russia and those close to the Kremlin,” the UK’s head of diplomacy said.

Truss assured that London “will continue to support Ukraine” in a “diplomatic, economic and defensive” way in the face of “Putin’s illegal invasion”, while “working to isolate” Moscow “on the international scene”.

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Meanwhile, British Transport Minister Grant Shapps stressed in his note that the military aggression launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin against Ukraine “must fail.”

“We will always work to prevent Putin and his cronies from living a normal life while innocent Ukrainians suffer,” Shapps said.

INTERNATIONAL WRITING
*With AFP and Efe