Tobias Billström told journalists ahead of a meeting of the EU foreign minister in Brussels on Monday that the adoption of the 14th round of sanctions was “one of the most important things.”

“We will see to it that we both include an import ban on liquefied natural gas as well as measures to curb the Russian shadow fleet," the Reuters news agency quoted him as saying.

Talks on the latest round of sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine are due to start this week but are not expected to be adopted yet.

In June 2022, the EU adopted its sixth round of sanctions, which included a ban on the purchase, import, or transfer of Russian crude transported by sea, as well as certain petroleum products.

There is a temporary exemption on the import of crude by pipeline for member states that are particularly dependent on Russian hydrocarbons.

The EU has also barred European shipping companies from transporting Russian crude to third countries, as well as providing technical assistance, services, or financing in this regard.