The EU 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.

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.

The European Union has approved a new package of sanctions on Russia, including restrictions on banking and fuels made from Russian petroleum, and a revised oil price cap – the 18th raft of measures since the country’s full scale invasion of Ukraine.