The European Union is close to the limit of sanctions pressure on Russia and is preparing to consider the introduction of restrictions against companies from India and China. The day before, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced progress on the issue of using frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine and confirmed that the 19th package of sanctions would be approved soon. At the same time, Brussels is increasingly discussing expanding the list of restrictions beyond Russian structures, including in response to pressure from Washington. Previous packages have already included an Indian refinery and two Chinese banks, but now EU ministers can discuss a larger expansion of the sanctions list. European officials admit that the instruments of pressure aimed exclusively at Moscow are almost exhausted. It is noted that despite the measures already taken, Russia has not changed its policy. Moscow has repeatedly called the asset freeze «theft» and stressed that the sanctions do not achieve their stated goals. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that in the event of the confiscation of frozen Russian funds, Moscow has the potential for retaliatory steps, including the retention of assets of Western countries in the Russian Federation.
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