Trump, EU prep new sanctions as Russia unleashes biggest airstrike in months

Russia just launched its biggest airstrike in months on Ukraine, smashing a major government building on Sunday. Hours later, Donald Trump’s administration and the European Union locked arms again to hit back.

Officials allegedly told CNBC that the 19th round of sanctions is on the way. The war’s been dragging on for over three years, and instead of slowing down, it’s clearly heating up.

One EU official, reportedly speaking anonymously because nothing’s been finalized yet, said the new measures will be “presented at the end of the week or early next week.”

All 27 EU countries still have to sign off before anything takes effect. But the pressure is building fast. EU and U.S. diplomats met in Washington DC over the weekend to iron out details, with energy, again, the main target.

EU pushes to kill Russia’s oil ties faster

A second EU official told CNBC, “It is clear that energy dependency on Russia will be targeted more vehemently.” Talks are zooming in on the Druzhba pipeline, which delivers Russian oil directly to Hungary and Slovakia, two countries still holding tight ties to Moscow.

This new package is expected to list more ships from Russia’s shadow fleet, those sneaky vessels used to dodge shipping rules. It will also slap restrictions on Russian diplomats and tourists, tightening their ability to move through Europe.

Europe is also looking beyond Russia this time. Officials are floating secondary sanctions, which means targeting China, a major buyer of Russian oil and gas. “This is the big question,” said the first EU official, adding that the bloc hasn’t decided yet if it will actually go there. But the discussion’s on the table.

China’s banks have already been hit in earlier rounds for helping Russia get around sanctions. Now more may be coming. Meanwhile, Trump’s team is urging Europe to speed up its timeline. Right now, the EU plans to stop buying Russian oil by 2028.

But Washington’s pushing harder. “The U.S. is focused on pushing us to phase out Russian oil and gas faster than the current deadline,” the first EU official said.

And money is already changing hands. Under a recent trade deal, the EU agreed to purchase $750 billion worth of U.S. energy, a major change meant to replace what used to come from Russia, Cryptopolitan reported.