Signal EU plans most far-reaching sanctions package against Russia in autumn, foreign chief says

Summary

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told German newspaper Die Welt that she would put forward 'the most far-reaching sanctions listings since the start of the war' against Russia this autumn, Reuters reported on August 17, 2026. Kallas said EU sanctions had already cost Russia's war effort more than €1 trillion (about $1.16 trillion). She said the new package, once adopted, would immediately raise the total number of sanctioned Russian entities by a third. Kallas did not provide further details on the timing or specific content of the new measures. The announcement follows the EU's most recent sanctions package, approved in July 2026, which imposed curbs on Russia's banking sector and cryptocurrency networks. Kallas stated that 'the pressure must keep growing until Moscow ends its war.'