Coveney confirms 4th round of EU sanctions against Russia as war continues

Ireland's Minister for Defence has confirmed the finalisation of a fourth sanctions package against Russia. 

Minister Simon Coveney confirmed the news as Ireland and over 50 fellow EU member states launched a joint statement condemning Russia's aggression against war-torn Ukraine. 

New restrictions include the prohibition of the following: All transactions with certain state-owned enterprises, the provision of credit rating services to any Russian person or entity, and any new investments in the Russian energy sector. 

Further trade restrictions concerning iron and steel as well as luxury goods will also be introduced. 

The EU Council has also decided to sanction key oligarchs, lobbyists and propagandists pushing the Kremlin narrative on the situation in Ukraine, as well as key companies in the aviation, military and machine building sectors. 

High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell Fontelles, spoke about the latest sanctions package and said, "This [sic] is another major blow to the Russian economic and logistic base used to carry out the invasion of Ukraine, aimed at crippling the financing of the Kremlin’s war machinery."