The EU will not back down: Kallas firmly responded to calls to lift sanctions against Russia.

The High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, claims that sanctions against Russia cannot be lifted. She emphasizes that this is an important tool of influence for the European Union.

Kallas states that Putin has not changed his goals, so the situation remains unchanged. She warns that lifting sanctions too early could weaken the European Union's position. Kallas also notes that this aligns with U.S. interests.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban opposes extending EU sanctions until this issue is discussed with the team of future U.S. President Donald Trump.

The European Union is developing new sanctions against the Russian Federation and seeking ways to circumvent potential vetoes from Hungary and Slovakia. Mechanisms to protect the sanctions regime are also being developed, including the application of an 81-year-old law involving the Belgian king.

New U.S. Sanctions Package

The new U.S. sanctions package concerns many companies from various countries that helped evade restrictions.

184 tankers from the shadow fleet of Russia have been subjected to sanctions, as well as the companies 'Ingosstrah' and 'AlfaStrakhovanie', which insure the tankers. Sanctions have also been imposed on 14 members of the board of directors of the corporation 'Rosatom'.

Three tankers with over 2 million barrels of Russian oil are floating off the eastern coast of China and cannot discharge their cargo following the introduction of new sanctions.

Ukraine is calling for further strengthening of sanctions, including lowering the maximum price on Russian oil and enhancing oversight of compliance with tanker insurance rules.