The European Council closed a two-day summit in Brussels on October 16, 2026 with a commitment: the European Union will move forward with a 22nd sanctions package against Russia and will keep existing measures in place as long as the war continues, according to a report by Infobae. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took part alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Council President António Costa.
The meeting comes days after Ukraine opened two additional negotiation chapters for its accession to the bloc, a process the Council endorsed in the same session. The Guardian reported that Zelensky said more than a thousand drones were launched against Ukrainian territory the previous day. For Mexico, the point of contact is the diesel market: the continuity of the sanctions regime and the placement of Russian diesel in global markets shape price formation for an input the country buys abroad.
António Costa argued that this is not the moment to withdraw support for Ukraine or to ease sanctions on Moscow, and proposed that pressure should increase. Ursula von der Leyen confirmed that the bloc is working on the 22nd sanctions package and said the Union backs the energy ceasefire proposal, which so far has not been honored on the ground. Von der Leyen added that the Union will sustain Kyiv through the winter. Zelensky listed his priorities for the season: energy supply, air defense and financing, in addition to his budget requirements for 2027. According to The Guardian, the Ukrainian leader said Starlink speed limits dropped to 70 kilometers per hour versus 400 for jet-powered drones, and that he expects additional F-16 fighter jets before the end of the year.
Zelensky said Ukrainian negotiators are in contact with their U.S. counterparts and that in the coming days they will agree on a meeting. The timeline for the 22nd sanctions package stands as the next milestone for the regime that governs global diesel flows.
This article was written with the assistance of artificial intelligence based on verified sources and reviewed by a human editor before publication.