Later, the information was officially confirmed in Brussels: «EU ambassadors just agreed in principle to 13th sanctions package as part of Russia's aggression against Ukraine,» wrote on account X (earlier on Twitter) of the Belgian Presidency of the EU. This package of sanctions is said to be one of the widest approved by the EU. The package will be officially greenlighted on February 24.
The White House has also earlier made a statement concerning the «major package of sanctions». John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council, said a new package of restrictions against the Putin regime will be announced on February 23. It will coincide with the two-year anniversary of the war and the killing of opposition politician Alexei Navalny in prison.
«Whatever the Russians are trying to say to their own people or to the rest of the world, clearly the Russian government in our view is responsible for what happened to him,» Kirby said.
Yesterday in Brussels, the wife of Alexei Navalny delivered a new strategy in the fight against the Russian dictatorship to the EU Council.
She called for not recognizing the presidential elections in Russia in 2024, which Putin uses for the sake of propaganda and legitimization of his power.
She also suggested establishing a special body to investigate the secret plans of Putin's government to bypass sanctions and hide corrupt assets in Europe. She cited the example of the villa of Vladimir Putin's ex-wife Lyudmila in Biarritz — the property has not yet been seized. Navalnaya emphasized that the existing European laws do not allow for proper punishment of Putin's accomplices, and offered help from the Anti-Corruption Foundation, which has been investigating corruption ties in Russia for 12 years. The Foundation, we should remind, was founded by her husband Alexei Navalny.
Yulia also demanded the development of a support system for Russian citizens who had to leave Russia because of the regime's oppression.
Will the West listen to Yulia Navalny's proposals and will the new package of sanctions be crushing for the Russian dictatorship? We will find out very soon.
