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EU’s preparing 21st package of sanctions against Russia — von der Leyen

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the EU is preparing a 21st package of sanctions against Russia, including export restrictions, import bans, and an entry ban for Russian military personnel. The package also aligns trade restrictions with Belarus and includes continued financial aid to Ukraine.

By Tertius News AI Desk 1 outlet · 3 articles Version 1 Coverage May 26 – Jun 9, 2026 Published Aug 15

Lead

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced that the European Union is preparing a 21st package of sanctions against Russia, aimed at increasing economic pressure on the country. Speaking at a press conference in Vilnius, von der Leyen said the package is designed to lower the population's standard of living, as Russian citizens increasingly feel the economic impact of the war in their daily lives.

Coverage Comparison

All details of the announcement were reported by TASS, the Russian state news agency, which covered von der Leyen's statements across multiple events. The reports present the EU's actions as a response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, quoting von der Leyen directly on the rationale behind the new measures. The coverage includes the economic restrictions, the entry ban on Russian military personnel, and the continued financial support for Ukraine.

Key Claims

According to von der Leyen, the EU has already approved €90 billion in funding for Ukraine, intended to help the country negotiate from a position of strength. Additionally, the EU will introduce export restrictions against Russia and Belarus worth €60 million. These include new import bans on certain metals, metal ores, and car parts. Von der Leyen said the goal is to lock in Europe's diversification away from Russian imports.

The EU also plans substantial restrictions on imports of some fish products and a complete ban on others, including cod. Von der Leyen noted that this addresses one of the last major unsanctioned sectors. Furthermore, the EU will align trade restrictions for Belarus to prevent it from serving as a backdoor for Russian trade.

In a separate statement, von der Leyen proposed introducing an entry ban for all participants in the Special Military Operation—the term Russia uses for its invasion of Ukraine. This would apply to anyone who has served in the Russian Armed Forces since the beginning of the war. Von der Leyen stated, "Europe stays off limits for anyone who has participated in the invasion of Ukraine."

The draft package is scheduled to be discussed by EU foreign ministers on June 15. Von der Leyen also mentioned that the EU has delivered almost €3 billion from the Ukraine Facility and will issue the first disbursement under the €90 billion loan to Ukraine this month.

How this outlet told it

TASS — English as of May 26, 2026, 4:01 PM UTC

Framing: EU sanctions against Russia — Neutral

Facts Included:

EU developing 21st package of sanctions against Russia
Sanctions aimed at lowering Russia's population standard of living
EU approved €90 billion in funding for Ukraine

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TASS — English as of Jun 9, 2026, 1:30 PM UTC

Framing: EU sanctions against Russia and Belarus — Neutral

Facts Included:

EU introducing export restrictions against Russia and Belarus worth €60 mln
Import bans on certain metals, metal ores, and car parts
Restrictions on imports of fish products
EU providing financial aid to Ukraine

Read the source article →

TASS — English as of Jun 9, 2026, 1:30 PM UTC

Framing: EU entry ban for Russian military participants — Neutral

Facts Included:

EU suggesting entry ban for participants in the Special Military Operation
Entry ban for all participants in the Russian Armed Forces since the beginning of the war

Read the source article →

What was claimed, and who backed it

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimThe European Union is developing a 21st package of sanctions against Russia, aimed at lowering the population's standard of living.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of May 26, 2026, 4:01 PM UTC
ClaimThe EU has approved €90 billion in funding for Ukraine.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of May 26, 2026, 4:01 PM UTC
ClaimThe EU will introduce export restrictions against Russia and Belarus worth €60 million.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jun 9, 2026, 1:30 PM UTC
ClaimThe EU proposes new import bans on certain metals, metal ores, and car parts.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jun 9, 2026, 1:30 PM UTC
ClaimThe EU proposes substantial restrictions on imports of some fish products and a complete ban on others, including cod.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jun 9, 2026, 1:30 PM UTC
ClaimThe EU suggests introducing an entry ban for all participants in the Special Military Operation.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jun 9, 2026, 1:30 PM UTC
ClaimThe EU will align trade restrictions for Belarus to prevent it from serving as a backdoor for Russian trade.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jun 9, 2026, 1:30 PM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

1 outlet · 3 articles consulted: TASS — English 7 claims extracted Version 1 Written 2026-08-15