EU plans to sanction Uzbek companies in new package targeting Russian support

On May 14, the European Union agreed on its 17th package of sanctions, which reportedly includes measures against companies based in Uzbekistan for allegedly supporting Russia. The news was reported by the "Financial Times".

These sanctions are being introduced in response to Russia’s ongoing military operations in Ukraine. The official adoption of the sanctions package is expected at the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting on May 20.

The new measures target 149 oil tankers that are part of Russia’s so-called "shadow fleet," as well as companies from third countries suspected of helping Russia circumvent existing sanctions. These countries include the UAE, Turkey, Serbia, Vietnam, and Uzbekistan. However, the specific names of the targeted companies have not yet been publicly disclosed.

According to "Bloomberg", the EU considered sanctioning Litasco Middle East DMCC, the Dubai-based trading arm of Russian oil giant LUKOIL. However, the proposal was dropped due to opposition from Hungary.

As reported by "Handelsblatt", more controversial proposals were excluded from the final sanctions list to avoid pushback from EU member states such as Hungary and Slovakia. It is worth noting that EU sanctions require unanimous approval from all 27 member states.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas stated that once this package is adopted, work will begin on preparing the next round of sanctions. French Minister for European Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot added that the EU and the United States intend to coordinate future measures against Russia more closely.

Russian officials have denounced the sanctions, calling them illegal.

Previously, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky imposed sanctions on several companies from Uzbekistan, Iran, and China for alleged cooperation with Russia.

The following Uzbek enterprises were included in Ukraine's blacklist:

1. Fergana Chemical Plant LLC (Fergana)
2. Raw Materials Cellulose LLC (Jizzakh)
3. Mercury Renaissance LLC JV (Tashkent)