EU adopts extensive 18th sanctions package

The European Union has adopted its 18th package of sanctions as a response to Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine and its lack of willingness to negotiate for a lasting peace. The EU expands its sanctions especially to target the energy and financial sectors and Russia’s shadow fleet and to prevent the circumvention of sanctions. The EU lowers the oil price cap. In addition, the EU tightens its sanctions against Belarus.

The EU adds new names to its list of individual sanctions, including business persons, entities and bodies who support or benefit from the Russian Government, who have facilitated the illegal annexation of Ukrainian territories into Russia and who have supported Russia’s armed forces and arms industry.

The EU sharpens its sectoral sanctions by expanding the export ban list with persons, entities and bodies that are military end-users, are part of Russia’s military and industrial complex or have commercial or other links with Russia’s defence and security sector or otherwise support it.

The EU adds to the export ban list new items which might contribute to Russia’s military and technological enhancement and to the development of its defence and security sector. New additions include constituent chemicals for propellants (Annex VII, Article 2a). In addition, new items, such as discharge and water-jet machine tools, are added to the transit ban list (Annex VII, Article 2a). More than 180 CN codes are added to the export ban list because they enhance Russian industrial capacities (Annex XXIII, Article 3k). New additions include aluminium goods and other metal goods, various enzymes, plastics and chemicals and different kinds of machines, tools and measuring devices. The scope of the export ban is also extended to selling or providing software used in the banking and financial sector to the Russian Government or any legal person, entity or body established in Russia (Article 5n).

The EU tightens export control of sanctioned goods (the ‘catch all’ clause). It means that the authorities can make more sanctioned goods subject to export authorisation where there is reason to suspect that the items may be used to circumvent sanctions via third countries (Council Regulation (EU) No 833/2014, Article 2a(1aa) and (6a)).

The EU bans import of petroleum products obtained in a third country from Russian crude oil and all transactions involving the natural gas pipelines Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 (Article 5af). In addition, the EU lowers the oil price cap (Article 3n, Annex XXVIII).

The EU imposes additional sanctions on tankers and persons, entities and bodies behind Russia’s shadow fleet by adding to the individual sanctions list the captain and shipping company of the tanker Jaguar and by adding altogether 105 tankers to the shadow fleet list under sectoral sanctions.

The EU introduces a possibility of an exemption for money transfers associated with the exit of subsidiaries of EU companies from Russia. The EU strengthens the legal remedies available to Member States in investor-state disputes.

The EU also extends the sanctions against Belarus to harmonise them with those against Russia. These extensions apply to the export ban list, the transit ban list and export control.

The content of the 18th package of sanctions is described in more detail in the appendix (PDF)Linkki toiselle sivustolle (the content of the appendix was updated on 23 July 2025).

The EU decided to extend the validity of Council Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 on sectoral sanctions by six months on 30 June 2025.

Sanctions regime targeting individuals and entities

• Council Decision (CFSP) 2025/1478Linkki toiselle sivustolle
• Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1476Linkki toiselle sivustolle

Sanctions regime targeting sectors

• Council Decicion (CFSP) 2025/1495Linkki toiselle sivustolle
• Council Regulation (EU) 2025/1494Linkki toiselle sivustolle

Sanctions against Belarus

• Council Decision (CFSP) 2025/1471Linkki toiselle sivustolle
• Council Implementing Decision (CFSP) 2025/1461Linkki toiselle sivustolle
• Council Regulation (EU) 2025/1472Linkki toiselle sivustolle
• Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1469Linkki toiselle sivustolle

Appendix updated on 23 July 2025.