PANews reported on September 8 that the European Union is studying a new round of sanctions against about six Russian banks and energy companies. People familiar with the matter said this would be the 19th round of sanctions imposed by the EU since 2022. The measures may also involve cracking down on Russia's payment and credit card systems, cryptocurrency exchanges, and further tightening restrictions on Russian oil trade. The EU hopes to coordinate some of these measures with the United States. A delegation of EU officials will travel to Washington this week to meet with the US and discuss the possibility of joint action. The EU's latest package of restrictive measures will expand sanctions on Russian "shadow ships", target oil traders in third countries, and may introduce a reinsurance ban on listed tankers. The EU is also considering imposing stricter sanctions on major Russian oil companies, canceling some exemptions currently enjoyed by companies such as Rosneft. At the same time, it may also ban the export of more goods and chemicals used in Russia's military industry.

According to sources familiar with the matter, the EU is also considering initiating its anti-circumvention tool against Kazakhstan for the first time, which would prohibit the import of certain machines. EU trade data shows that these machines continue to be transferred in large quantities to Russia and used in weapons production. Other measures under consideration include visa restrictions, restrictions on ports handling sanctioned "shadow vessels," and sanctions on services with military significance, such as artificial intelligence. The proposed sanctions are expected to be formally presented in the coming days.