The European Union has adopted 21 sanctions packages against Russia.

Omissions

• The claim counts only numbered packages; on 12 October 2026 — nine days before the speech — the Council adopted the 'largest ever package of listings' (close to 1,600 listings), which at least one law-firm analysis labels the '22nd package of sanctions against Russia'. Depending on definition, the correct figure at the time of the speech could therefore be 22.
• The second half of the original sentence ('have not brought Russia to its knees') is a political assessment rather than a verifiable statistic and is not supported or refuted by statistical sources.
• The claim does not note that sanctions packages have been progressively expanded (asset freezes, energy, financial services, crypto, shadow fleet), which is relevant context for judging their cumulative effect.

Sources

• PrimaryCouncil of the EU — press release: 21st package of sanctions (23 July 2026)"Today, the Council adopted the 21st package of restrictive measures against Russia in response to its war of aggression against Ukraine."
• PrimaryEuropean Commission (DG FISMA) — EU adopts 21st package of sanctions against Russia"Today, the European Commission welcomes the adoption by EU Member States of the 21st package of sanctions against Russia."
• PrimaryCouncil of the EU — Timeline: Packages of sanctions against Russia since February 2022"21st package of sanctions: EU hits Russian energy, financial services and crypto hard (press release, 23 July 2026). 2026. 23 April. 20th package of sanctions..."
• PrimaryCouncil of the EU — press release: EU agrees largest ever package of listings (12 October 2026)"Today the EU adopted the largest round of sanctions listings since 2022. Close to 1600 listings target Russia's military-industrial complex."
• PrimaryEuropean Commission — EU adopts 20th package of sanctions against Russia"The Commission welcomes the adoption by EU Member States of the 20th package of sanctions against Russia."
• SecondaryLexology — EU approves 22nd package of sanctions against Russia"On 12 October 2026, the EU Council adopted additional restrictive measures against 1,569 individuals and entities in Russia's military and ..." (characterised as a '22nd package' of sanctions)