The European Union approved a new package of sanctions on Russia on Tuesday, targeting covert oil exports, days after the top EU official announced plans for a further set of even tougher restrictions.

The point is to intensify Russia’s economic pain — and by doing so, to prod President Vladimir Putin toward peace talks to end the war in Ukraine. The push comes as questions mount about how the United States will approach future sanctions.

After a call between President Donald Trump and Putin on Monday, the White House backed off its demand that Russia declare an immediate ceasefire. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine said at a news conference that it was unclear whether the United States would join with Europe in stepping up sanctions.

EU nations have imposed extensive sanctions on Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The ones they approved Tuesday are the 17th set. These take aim at Russia’s so-called shadow fleet — old tanker ships that Moscow uses to covertly transport and sell its oil around the world.

Officials are already discussing an 18th package. Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, the EU executive arm, said last week that officials could go after gas pipelines, hit banks and push to further crimp Russia’s global energy sales.

“It takes two to want peace, and it takes only one to want war,” Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said Tuesday. “In order to make Russia want peace also, we need to put more pressure on Russia.”

But questions abound about how well sanctions are working — and whether EU pressure can force Putin to change policy.

The measures approved Tuesday target 189 ships in Russia’s shadow fleet, bringing the total of vessels listed to 342. They add to a wide-ranging set of measures that the European Union has patched together since 2022, hoping to squeeze the Russian economy harder with each package.

Overall, the EU sanctions target more than 2,400 individuals with restrictions including bank account freezes and travel bans. European officials have already frozen more than 200 billion euros, or about $225 billion, of Russian central bank assets. Russia cannot import European luxury goods and is barred from exporting key products like steel and pig iron to the bloc.

Sales of oil and gas — vital to Russia — have been sharply limited, too. The European Union laid out a plan this month to end Russian gas imports by 2027.

These efforts have been part of an international push. Major world powers, including in Europe, have agreed to prevent Russia from selling oil into global markets for more than $60 per barrel. The hope is to keep markets supplied with enough fuel to avert shortages and price spikes while curbing Russian revenues.