11th package of sanctions adopted by EU against Russia

Brussels: The eleventh set of sanctions against Russia since the Ukrainian crisis erupted last year has been officially adopted by the EU Council.

The package adds 87 new entities to the list of those "directly supporting Russia's military and industrial complex" and contains steps to combat the circumvention of sanctions.

It imposes a full ban on trucks with Russian trailers and semi-trailers from transporting goods to the EU and extends the ban on the export of luxury cars to all new and second-hand cars above a certain engine size, and all-electric and hybrid vehicles, Xinhua news agency reported.

The temporary derogation granted to Germany and Poland for the supply of crude oil from Russia through the northern section of the Druzhba oil pipeline will end, according to the Council on Friday.

However, oil originating from Kazakhstan or another third country will be able to continue to transit through Russia and be imported into the EU via the Druzhba oil pipeline, it added.

In response, Moscow has expanded the list of EU representatives who are banned from entering Russia, reported Sputnik on Friday. The Russian news agency quoted the Russian Foreign Ministry as saying the EU's move was "illegitimate, undermining the international legal prerogatives of the UN Security Council".

With inputs from IANS