The European Union has decided to impose new duties on imports of agricultural products and fertilizers from Russia and Belarus. The decision was made by the EU's Permanent Representatives Committee, which gave a mandate for further negotiations with the European Parliament.

The European Council said the new tariffs would cover all agricultural products from Russia, while the previous restrictions only affected 15% of Russian agricultural exports, including cereals. The decision would be an important step towards putting economic pressure on Russia to reduce its export revenues and make it more difficult to finance military operations, including the war in Ukraine.

As of 2023, Russia was the supplier of 25% of all fertilizers imported by EU countries. This amounted to about 3.6 million tons, which brought 1.28 billion euros to the Russian budget. Under the new measures, the EU plans to reduce its dependence on Russian supplies while simultaneously stimulating the development of European fertilizer production.

The new tariffs on fertilizers from Russia and Belarus will now be phased in over three years. This will allow European farmers to adapt to the new conditions and find alternative sources of fertilizer supply. The EU is also actively working to diversify its sources of supply to avoid any negative consequences for agriculture in European countries.

These new sanctions are part of a broader EU strategy to put economic pressure on Russia and Belarus to reduce their capabilities to wage war. However, the final introduction of these measures requires the approval of the European Parliament. After that, the EU Council will be able to finally adopt the regulatory rules by a majority vote.

The introduction of the new tariffs will help strengthen the EU's economic independence, especially in the context of the ongoing conflict in Eastern Europe, and will become an important component of the overall strategy to support Ukraine.