Beijing, China - July 23, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Screenshot of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's post on X

FILE: Brussels, Belgium - Jan 14, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
2. Various of Berlaymont building (headquarters of European Commission)
3. Sign of Berlaymont building

FILE: Brussels, Belgium - Dec 15, 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
4. Various of EU flags

FILE: Brussels, Belgium - June 27, 2024 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
5. Various of Berlaymont building, traffic

FILE: Moscow, Russia - May 8, 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
6. Various of Kremlin, river, traffic

FILE: Moscow, Russia - March 2023 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
7. Various of Saint Basil's Cathedral, Kremlin Clock

FILE: Moscow, Russia - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
8. Saint Basil's Cathedral, Kremlin Clock, traffic

FILE: Russia - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
9. Various of oil drilling rigs in operation

FILE: Moscow, Russia - Date Unknown (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
10. Various of oil refinery

European Union (EU) ambassadors reached a political agreement on the bloc's 21st package of sanctions against Russia on Thursday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on social media.

In a post on X, von der Leyen said that the new package would add another 32 Russian banks to the EU's transaction-ban list and target crypto firms and oil-trading platforms.

The EU will also freeze the mechanism for adjusting the price cap on Russian oil for one year, so that what she called the "Russian war machine" does not benefit from market shocks, she said.

For the first time, the EU will target vessels assisting Russia's so-called "shadow fleet," von der Leyen said, adding that the bloc had also taken an important step toward formally banning Russian combatants from entering the EU.

The agreement still requires technical work and formal approval of all 27 member states through a written procedure.

The European Commission proposed the 21st sanctions package against Russia in June, focusing on the energy and financial sectors, crypto assets and trade.

Russia has previously stated that EU sanctions against it will cause damage to the EU itself, and that Russia reserves the right to respond in accordance with its own interests.