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

FRANKFURT, Aug 17 (Reuters) – The EU intends to significantly expand sanctions against Russia in the coming months, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told a German newspaper.

“EU sanctions have already cost Russia dearly, depriving Russia’s war machine of over €1 trillion ($1.16 trillion) and for autumn I am putting forward the most far-reaching sanctions listings since the start of the war,” she told German daily newspaper Die Welt.

“Once adopted, they would immediately raise the total number of sanctioned Russian entities by a third. The pressure must keep growing until Moscow ends its war.”

Kallas did not elaborate further on timing or details of the new sanctions package.

The EU in July approved its most recent sanctions package against Russia over its war in Ukraine, imposing curbs on the country’s banking sector and cryptocurrency networks.

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(Reporting by Christoph Steitz; Editing by Nia Williams)