EU to substantially expand sanctions on Russia, Kaja Kallas says
Kaja Kallas says an autumn package will be "the most comprehensive" since the war and could raise the number of listed Russians by one third.
Brussels, 17 August 2026. The European Union intends to significantly widen its sanctions against Russia in the coming months, EU High Representative Kaja Kallas said, promising the bloc's most comprehensive measures yet against Moscow.
New autumn package could raise sanctioned list by one third
Kallas told a German newspaper that "This autumn I will present the most comprehensive sanctions package since the start of the war. If adopted, the number of sanctioned Russian individuals, companies and organisations will immediately increase by one third."
According to European Commission figures, current EU measures target almost 3,000 people and entities after 21 sanction packages adopted since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Kallas added that "The pressure must increase until Russia ends the war," and expressed hope that the United States and Europe would "draw closer" again on sanctions policy.
The High Representative characterised Moscow's conduct as deliberate assaults on civilians. She warned that Russian forces are stepping up strikes against population centres and infrastructure because they have failed to secure battlefield victories: "The Moscow army does not achieve victories on the battlefield and is therefore increasingly directing its missiles at Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure. It is systematic terror. Russia wants to make Ukrainian cities uninhabitable."
The statement comes amid almost daily missile and drone strikes by Russian forces since the February 2022 invasion. The United Nations human rights mission reported that last month was the deadliest for Ukrainian civilians since May 2022: 437 people were killed and 2,610 were injured in Russian attacks in July.
Brussels faces practical and political decisions ahead of the autumn package: whether to broaden asset freezes and travel bans, target additional firms and oligarchs, and coordinate closely with Washington to maximise pressure on the Kremlin.
Photo: press material from the event
