The European Commission (EC) has proposed to impose duties on additional agricultural imports from Russia and its ally Belarus, AFP reports.
The 27 EU member states have imposed numerous sanctions on Russia in response to its full-scale invasion of the neighbouring country in 2022.
"The latest duties will further impact Russia's ability to wage its war against Ukraine," the EU executive said in a statement.
The measures, which need the approval of the EU Council, and the bloc's parliament, target the 15% of Russian agricultural goods that were not affected by the sweeping tariffs that came into force last July.
"Once adopted by the Council, all imports of agricultural products from Russia will be subject to EU tariffs," the Commission said.
EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič said the tariffs were "carefully calibrated to achieve multiple objectives".
"Our goal is to further weaken Russia's military economy while reducing the EU's dependence, supporting our industry and preserving global food security," Šefčovič said.
He promised to take "every step necessary to protect our fertiliser industry and farmers".
In addition to agricultural products, the measures also affect some nitrogen fertilisers.
The Commission stated that in addition to reducing Russia's military coffers, the proposal aims to reduce dependence on imports from Russia and Belarus - especially fertilisers.
According to the executive, these imports "make the EU vulnerable to potential enforcement action by Russia and thus pose a risk to EU food security".
Under the measures, which came into force last July, the EU imposed duties on cereals, oilseeds and derived products from Russia and Belarus at a level aimed at effectively stopping their imports into the bloc. | BGNES
