Without waiting for Trump, E.U. and Britain impose new sanctions on Russia over Ukraine

Without waiting for Washington, the European Union and the U.K. announced a new raft of sanctions against Russia.

LONDON — Without waiting for Washington, the European Union and Britain announced a new raft of sanctions against Russia on Tuesday, less than 24 hours after President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin exchanged a friendly, if fruitless, phone call about ending the war in Ukraine.

The measures will crack down on Moscow’s so-called “shadow fleet” — around 200 vessels used to transport Russian oil exports globally — the 27-nation bloc and London said in separate statements. They are the 17th set of European sanctions imposed on Russia since it invaded its neighbor in 2022, the E.U. said.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a post on X that it was “time to intensify the pressure on Russia to bring about the ceasefire.”

The coordinated efforts came in direct response to Russian drone attacks on Ukraine over the weekend, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in a separate statement issued by his government Tuesday. “Delaying peace efforts will only redouble our resolve to help Ukraine to defend itself and use our sanctions to restrict Putin’s war machine,” he added.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the E.U. headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday.Omar Havana / APThanking his European allies, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an overnight address that it was “important that America continues to be involved in the peace process.”