The European Union has approved on Monday a new package of sanctions against Russia, because of its war in Ukraine.

The 14th package of sanctions against Russia includes a ban on the refilling of Russian liquefied natural gas in the EU for the purpose of sending it to third countries.

This package also gives the EU more tools to fight sanctions evasion.

The sanctions also include restrictive measures against 116 individuals and other entities because of their actions against Ukraine.

"The new sanctions target high-value sectors of the Russian economy, such as energy, finance and trade, and make it extremely difficult to evade EU sanctions," the EU Council said in a statement.

The new package also includes banning the use of the Financial Message Transfer System (SPFS), a type of SWIFT system based in Moscow.

In addition, political parties and organizations, as well as NGOs, will no longer be allowed to accept funding from Russia, the Council said.

"Sanctions prohibit EU media, political parties and analytical organizations from receiving funding from Russian sources. Measures have also been imposed against companies from China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates for circumventing sanctions against Russia," it said. in the statement.

The announcement further emphasizes that the Council of the EU charges European companies to ensure that their partners in third countries do not violate European sanctions.

"The EU restricts the registration of intellectual property rights in the block for citizens and companies of Russia", the announcement states.

The war in Ukraine started on February 24, 2022.

Russian President Vladimir Putin calls the war a "special military operation" to demilitarize Ukraine.

The West has responded to Russia, hitting the economy of this country with harsh sanctions.

As a result of the war, thousands of people have died and millions more have been displaced from their homes./REL/