Trading oil with Russia, EU plans to impose sanctions on ports of third countries including Indonesia

The European Commission has proposed the 20th round of sanctions against Russia, suggesting that the port of Kulevi in Georgia and the port of Karimun in Indonesia should be included in the sanctions list. This is the first time that the EU has planned to impose sanctions on a third-country port in an effort to restrict Russia's oil exports through those ports.

If the sanctions plan is approved, EU enterprises and individuals will be prohibited from conducting any transactions with the aforementioned ports.

This sanction plan was jointly proposed by the EU External Action Service and the European Commission, and has been submitted for review by member states. It can only come into effect with the unanimous consent of the member states.

European Commission President Frans Timmerman said that the new round of sanctions will be more stringent, including imposing a complete ban on maritime services for Russian crude oil, replacing the previous price cap mechanism set by the G7.

The plan also introduces new import bans for nickel bars, iron ore and concentrates, unrefined and processed copper, as well as various scrap metals (including aluminium), and also prohibits the import of salt, ammonia, gravel, silica and fur products.

Furthermore, the EU has for the first time employed the "anti-avoidance tool" against a third country, aiming to restrict the export of metal-cutting machines and communication equipment to Kyrgyzstan, and listing two local banks on the sanctions list, as they provided cryptocurrency services to Russia. Some banks from Laos and Tajikistan were also included in the sanctions, while two Chinese lending institutions were removed from the list. Under the existing framework of asset freeze and travel ban sanctions, the EU also proposed to add 30 individuals and 64 companies, including Bash Petroleum Company under Russian Oil Corporation and eight refineries.