After a highly anticipated phone call with US President Donald Trump, Vladmir Putin once again refused to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine.
The EU and UK have now decided to impose yet another round of sanctions on Moscow, targeting the country's energy exports and other areas financing its war effort.
London and Brussels said their new measures zero in on Moscow's "shadow fleet" of oil tankers and financial companies that have helped it avoid the impact of other sanctions imposed over the war.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she had spoken to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and that a further package of sanctions was being prepared.
"It's time to intensify the pressure on Russia to bring about the ceasefire," she declared.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that even though more sanctions are already "in the works" action was needed from the United States.
However, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has rejected recent calls to impose more sanctions on Moscow, saying that doing so could drive Russia away from the negotiating table.
Agnieszka Bielawska has more.
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