EU imposes new sanctions on Russia on third anniversary of Ukraine invasion

The European Union on Monday hit Russia with a new round of sanctions aimed at curbing its war effort on the third anniversary of the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

It is the 16th round of sanctions imposed by the 27-nation bloc on Russia since Moscow launched its all-out assault on Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

"This new round of sanctions not only targets the Russian shadow fleet but those who support the operation of unsafe oil tankers, videogame controllers used to pilot drones, banks used to circumvent our sanctions, and propaganda outlets used to spout lies," EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas said.

The fresh sanctions put restrictions on imports of Russian aluminium and blacklist 74 vessels from the so-called "shadow fleet" used by Russia to circumvent limits on oil exports.

The move comes as the EU tries to keep pressure on the Kremlin despite US President Donald Trump undercutting Kyiv and its European allies by launching talks with Russia's Vladimir Putin.

"There is no doubt about who the aggressor is, who should pay and be held accountable for this war," Kallas said.

"With talks underway to end Russia’s aggression, we must put Ukraine in the strongest possible position. Sanctions provide leverage."

The latest EU sanctions also prohibit sales of games consoles to Russia that can be used to control drones on the battlefield and ban eight Russian outlets from broadcasting in the bloc.