European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen talks to the press on the 21st sanctions package against Russia in Brussels, Belgium, June 9, 2026. REUTERS
BRUSSELS, June 9 (Reuters) – The EU is set to propose a 21st package of sanctions against Russia for its war in Ukraine on Wednesday targeting the country’s bank and crypto networks to increase the chances of a banking crisis and Moscow’s appetite to negotiate a peace deal, an EU diplomatic source said.
The package is expected to list up to 90 banks – the biggest in one go – and would take the total of listed banks to over 100, accounting for more than 50% of Russia’s internationally connected lenders.
The banks will come under the full weight of EU sanctions including asset freezes, travel and transaction bans.
On top of the listings by the EU’s diplomatic arm EEAS, the European Commission will propose to ban transactions with 35 banks as well as a dozen crypto platforms that help Russia evade Western restrictions including in third countries, the source added.
Reporting by Julia Payne, Editing by Louise Heavens
