Moscow [Russia], October 23 (ANI): Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday hit back at the European Union after the bloc announced its 19th sanctions package, which, among other items, bans the export of toilets and bidets to Russia, Russia Today reported.
Speaking to reporters, Putin mocked the EU’s decision, warning that such measures would “cost them dearly.” He added, “They will need Russian toilets if they continue to behave this way.”
Earlier in the day, the Official Journal of the European Union published details of the new sanctions, which extend restrictions to include sanitary ware such as toilets and bidets, as well as goods like flowers, moss, and motorised toys. The new package also targets Russia’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) sector and several other industries.
EU High Representative Kaja Kallas announced that the 19th sanctions package had been formally adopted after a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels. “We just adopted our 19th sanctions package. It targets Russian banks, crypto exchanges, entities in India and China, among others,” Kallas said on X, adding that the move aims to tighten pressure on Moscow over its ongoing war in Ukraine.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the new measures also include a ban on imports of Russian LNG and new restrictions on over 100 vessels in Russia’s “shadow fleet” used to bypass oil export limits. “For the first time, we are hitting Russia’s gas sector, the heart of its war economy. We will not relent until the people of Ukraine have a just and lasting peace,” von der Leyen said.
The sanctions also impose full transaction bans on Russian energy giants Rosneft and Gazpromneft, while additional restrictions target crypto platforms and foreign banks linked to Russia’s alternative payment systems.
Putin also responded to Washington’s latest sanctions, describing them as an “unfriendly move” that would not help relations between Moscow and Washington. He said the new restrictions would have little effect on Russia’s economy, adding, “No self-respecting country ever does anything under pressure.”
The comments came a day after the United States imposed fresh sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, to increase pressure on Moscow to end the war in Ukraine.
Announcing the move, US President Donald Trump said, “These are tremendous sanctions… against their two big oil companies. We hope the war will be settled.”
The US Treasury Department said the sanctions freeze all American-based assets of both companies and prohibit US entities from doing business with them. The move is aimed at limiting Russia’s ability to finance its war operations and further weakening its economy.
Putin, however, dismissed the impact of the sanctions and suggested that “certain people in the US administration” were pushing these measures for their own interests. (ANI)