Comment by the Russian Permanent Mission to the EU regarding the 16th package of anti-Russian sanctions adopted by the European Union, 24 February 2025

💬 The latest illegitimate restrictions against Russia follow the EU’s consistently confrontational and doomed-to-fail course that runs counter to the fundamental interests of its Member States and their citizens. The EU continues to follow a familiar pattern, stubbornly refusing to acknowledge that a resolution of the Ukrainian crisis is only possible by addressing its root causes.

The numerous sanctions “packages” adopted for the sake of political expediency have clearly failed to achieve the goals set by their initiators, causing far greater damage to the EU itself than to Russia. Moreover, they have had a stimulating effect on industry and technological advancements in Russia. Meanwhile, the EU has ruined its trade and economic relations with our country, depriving itself of reliable supplies of affordable Russian energy resources and access to the vast Russian market. This has negatively impacted the competitiveness of the European economy, that remains stagnant, as well as the well-being of ordinary Europeans.

❗Under the far-fetched pretext of combating foreign interference and disinformation, the EU is also introducing new restrictions against Russian media. The latest package is no exception in this regard. Such measures clearly demonstrate that Brussels fears alternative viewpoints and is making efforts to harshly censor information, even to the point of banning media that it does not like, contrary to its proclaimed principles of freedom of speech and access to information.