The European Union has agreed to impose a new round of sanctions against Russia, threatening to slap on another one if the country continues to refuse the 30-day unconditional ceasefire.

Axar.az reports, citing Euronews, the preliminary deal on the new sanctions, the 17th package since February 2022, was sealed on Wednesday morning during a meeting of EU ambassadors and is expected to be formally approved by foreign affairs ministers next week.

Hungary, a vocal critic of economic restrictions which has twice this year almost blocked their renewal, did not oppose the measures.

Once again, the prime target of the sanctions is the "shadow fleet" that the Kremlin has deployed to circumvent Western restrictions on the oil trade and maintain a source of revenue that is crucial to fund the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

So far, the bloc has targeted 153 tankers from the "shadow fleet", all of which have been denied access to EU ports and services.

The new sanctions add almost 200 vessels, bringing the total number to over 350.

Wednesday's agreement also blacklists 75 individuals and companies involved in Russia's military industrial complex and over 30 firms suspected of supplying Moscow with dual-use goods that Western allies have prohibited, diplomats said. It also bans the exports of EU-made chemicals that can be used to produce missiles.