EU hits Russian oil, shadow fleet with new sanctions over Ukraine war
'The message is clear: Europe will not back down in its support for Ukraine. The EU will keep raising the pressure until Russia ends its war,' EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in a statement on Friday.
Kallas said the EU move amounts to 'one of its strongest sanctions packages against Russia to date' linked to the war, which is now in its fourth year.
It comes as European countries start to buy United States weapons for Ukraine to help the country better defend itself.
US President Donald Trump announced the deal to supply more weapons to Ukraine and threatened earlier this week to impose steep tariffs on Russia unless a peace deal is reached within 50 days.
The European Commission, the EU's executive branch, had proposed to lower the oil price cap from $60 to $45, which is lower than the market price to target Russia's vast energy revenues.
The EU had hoped to get major international powers in the Group of Seven countries involved in the price cap to broaden the impact, but conflict in the Middle East pushed up oil prices and the US administration could not be brought on board .
In 2023, Ukraine's Western allies limited sales of Russian oil to $60 per barrel , but the price cap was largely symbolic as most of Moscow's crude – its main moneymaker – cost less than that. Still, the cap was there in case oil prices rose.
Oil Russia's main source of income
The linchpin of Russia's economy is oil income, allowing President Vladimir Putin to pour money into the armed forces without worsening inflation for everyday people and avoiding a currency collapse.
The EU has also targeted the Nord Stream pipelines between Russia and Germany to prevent Putin from generating any revenue from them in future, notably by discouraging would-be investors. Russian energy giant Rosneft's refinery in India was hit as well.
The pipelines were built to carry Russian natural gas to Germany but are not in operation. They were targeted by sabotage in 2022, but the source of the underwater explosions has remained a major international mystery.
Additionally, the new EU sanctions are targeting Russia's banking sector, with the aim of limiting the Kremlin's ability to raise funds or carry out financial transactions. Two Chinese banks were added to the list.
The EU has slapped several rounds of sanctions on Russia since Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
But each round of sanctions is getting harder to agree, as measures targeting Russia bite the economies of the 27 member nations. Slovakia held up the latest package over concerns about proposals to stop Russian gas supplies, which it relies on.
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Especially as it is in the middle of its own tariff war with Trump, which has already seen him threaten tariffs even above 100 percent, there is little chance Beijing, Russia's largest oil buyer, will care about a similar threat on Russian production. Additionally, Trump's decision to play for time with his threat is likely to delay passage of a Senate bill imposing additional sanctions on Russia, though 83 of 100 members of the chamber have co-sponsored it. The Republican Party's leadership in the Senate and the House are wary of being seen to goad Trump on the issue, lest it risk blowback from Trump, who demands near-universal authority and deference on policymaking from his party. 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Trump may have declared a new approach to Russia, but whether it goes beyond mere rhetoric will depend on his willingness to work with partners and allies and acknowledge the costs of such pressure. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial stance.
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A collection of letters gifted to the deceased, high-profile sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein, on his birthday in 2003 includes a birthday note bearing US President Donald Trump's signature, the Wall Street Journal (WSG) reported on Thursday. Trump denies having written the letter and, on Thursday, told Attorney General Pam Bondi to request a court release of the transcripts of all grand jury testimony in the Epstein case. The WSJ claims have reignited intrigue about Trump's relationship with Epstein. We break down how closely, exactly, the two men associated with each other over the years. What was in Trump's birthday letter to Epstein? According to the WSJ report, Epstein was gifted a leather-bound collection of letters and notes for his 50th birthday in 2003. This had been compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's associate and partner, who was later charged as Jeffrey Epstein's accomplice in his sexual abuse operation. She was found guilty in 2021 and is now serving a 20-year prison sentence handed down in 2022. The letter included typewritten text in the third person. It also featured a drawing of a woman's breasts and was signed 'Donald'. The drawing appeared to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker, the WSJ reported. The letter ended with: 'Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret.' Al Jazeera could not independently verify the authenticity of the letter. Following the revelations about the letter, Trump wrote on Truth Social: 'The Wall Street Journal printed a FAKE letter, supposedly to Epstein. These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don't draw pictures. 'I told Rupert Murdoch it was a Scam, that he shouldn't print this Fake Story. But he did, and now I'm going to sue his a** off, and that of his third rate newspaper. Thank you for your attention to this matter! DJT.' He also wrote: 'Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein, I have asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval. This SCAM, perpetuated by the Democrats, should end, right now!' Soon after Trump's statement, Bondi announced on X that the Justice Department planned to request the unsealing of grand jury transcripts in court on Friday. Here's what we know about how well the two men really knew each other. 1980s: Trump and Epstein are friends in 2002, Trump told the New York Magazine that he had been friends with Epstein since about the late 1980s. In the 1980s, Trump was a businessman and a real estate mogul. 'I've known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy,' Trump said. 'He's a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it – Jeffrey enjoys his social life,' Trump continued. 1990s: Trump and Epstein are spotted at parties together, flying together Through the 1990s, the two men were spotted socialising at high-profile gatherings. In November 1992, Trump threw a party with NFL cheerleaders at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. He had invited NBC to record the event. The tape from the party, published by NBC online in 2019, shows Trump laughing with Epstein, their conversation drowned by the really loud music. In 1997, Epstein and Trump were seen together at the Victoria Secret 'Angels' party in New York. Trump also frequently flew on Epstein's private jets – seven times in total between 1993 and 1997 – according to flight logs presented as evidence during Maxwell's trial. This included four times in 1993, once in 1994, once in 1995 and once in 1997. The flights were between Palm Beach and New York, and they included a stop in Washington, DC. 2000s: The two continue to party, Trump's name in Epstein files There are pictures of the two men at a party at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in 2000. These images also feature Maxwell and Trump's now wife, then known as Melania Knauss. In January 2024, about 950 pages of court documents identifying associates of Epstein were made public. Trump was mentioned in these documents, but was not accused of anything. Virginia Giuffre, one of the women who accused Epstein of sexual abuse, told the court that she was working at Mar-a-Lago when she was recruited by Maxwell to become Epstein's masseuse at the age of 16. Giuffre said that Epstein and Maxwell groomed her into performing sexual acts with adult men, including Prince Andrew. Johanna Sjoberg, another woman who accused Epstein of sexual abuse, recalled a 2001 flight from Florida on which she and Virginia Giuffre, then underage, were among the passengers. Due to a storm, the plane diverted to Atlantic City, where they visited one of Trump's casinos. Sjoberg said of Giuffre: 'I did not know anything about how old you had to be to gamble legally. I just knew she could not get in because of an ID issue, so she and I did not gamble.' Giuffre died by suicide in April this year. 2003: Trump's birthday letter to Epstein The WSJ published the text of a letter allegedly written by Trump for Epstein's birthday. It appears to be in script form: 'Voice Over: There must be more to life than having everything. Donald: Yes, there is, but I won't tell you what it is. Jeffrey: Nor will I, since I also know what it is. Donald: We have certain things in common, Jeffrey. Jeffrey: Yes, we do, come to think of it. Donald: Enigmas never age, have you noticed that? Jeffrey: As a matter of fact, it was clear to me the last time I saw you. Donald: A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret.' According to the report, Trump told the WSJ on Tuesday that he did not write the letter, and threatened to sue the publication. 'I never wrote a picture in my life. I don't draw pictures of women,' he told the Journal. 'The Wall Street Journal, and Rupert Murdoch, personally, were warned directly by President Donald J Trump that the supposed letter they printed by President Trump to Epstein was a FAKE and, if they print it, they will be sued,' Trump reiterated in a post on his Truth Social platform. Rupert Murdoch controls the WSJ's publisher, News Corp. 2004: Trump and Epstein have a real estate dispute In 2004, Trump and Epstein had a falling out over a foreclosed oceanfront mansion in Palm Beach. The Washington Post reported that Trump had outbid Epstein on the property. Since that date, there was sparse public evidence of the two men interacting. 2006: Epstein faces criminal charges In 2005, Florida police investigated claims Epstein had sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl after the girl's parents made the complaint. Epstein was charged by Palm Beach police officials with multiple counts of unlawful sex with a minor. However, the State Attorney took the unusual step of referring the case to a grand jury, which indicted Epstein on a single count of soliciting prostitution. In 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty to charges involving a single victim. He served 13 months in jail under a work-release programme that permitted him to leave during the day for work and return to jail at night. 2019: Epstein is jailed again and dies in prison During Trump's first presidential term in 2019, federal prosecutors in New York charged Epstein with sex trafficking. In July 2019, Trump was asked by a reporter about Epstein, to which he responded: 'Well, I knew him like everybody in Palm Beach knew him. I mean, people in Palm Beach knew him. He was a fixture in Palm Beach.' Trump added: 'I had a falling out with him a long time ago. I don't think I've spoken to him for 15 years.' Epstein died in a Manhattan jail cell on August 10, 2019. During an interview after Epstein's death, Trump said about the case: 'I want a full investigation, and that's what I absolutely am demanding.' 2025: Trump's shifting stance on the 'Epstein list' In 2024, while campaigning for the election, Trump said he would release information about the Epstein case. He also appointed Pam Bondi to be the Attorney General. During an interview with Fox News in February, Bondi was asked, 'The DOJ may be releasing the list of Jeffrey Epstein's clients, will that really happen?' She responded, 'It's sitting on my desk right now to review.' However, on July 7, the US Department of Justice released a memo stating that a government review had found no evidence that Epstein had a specific 'secret client list'. The memo also reaffirmed that Epstein had died by suicide, a claim that many conspiracy theorists among Trump's MAGA (Make America Great Again) base disbelieve. They believe Epstein was murdered because he had sensitive information about powerful figures, and that this was covered up. When Trump and Bondi were questioned by reporters about the July 7 memo, Trump said: 'I can't believe you're asking a question on Epstein at a time like this, where we're having some of the greatest success and also tragedy, with what happened in Texas,' referring to flash floods that roiled the southern US state over the weekend before the memo was released, killing 109 people. 'It just seems like a desecration,' Trump added. Trump recently expressed anger towards his supporters over Epstein conspiracy theories. 'Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats work, don't even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don't want their support anymore!' he wrote on his Truth Social platform on Monday.
