EU informs Georgia that Kulevi port will be excluded from 20th sanctions package despite suspected role in Russian oil shipments

The European Union has removed the oil terminal at Georgia’s Black Sea port of Kulevi from the draft version of its 20th sanctions package against Russia, according to a report by Georgian public broadcaster 1tv.ge. According to the channel, the EU’s Sanctions Envoy, David O’Sullivan, informed Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili of the development.

In a letter from O’Sullivan, an image of which was published by 1tv.ge, the EU said that it had received documents from Georgia’s Foreign Ministry in February related to the 20th sanctions package.

“The Kulevi Port located in Georgia was initially proposed for possible inclusion in the 20th sanctions package due to its role in the maritime transport of Russian oil and port calls by Shadow Fleet tankers.

This initial position has been reassessed following the positive commitments that your authorities and the port operator have taken. I welcome your commitment that Georgia will not allow EU-sanctioned vessels to enter its ports or receive services and SOCAR’s commitments that it will conduct its activities in strict compliance with EU sanctions, including by respecting the price cap and EU’s imports bans on Russian crude oil and of refined products made from such oil. These commitments have been critical for our review of the situation and ultimately led to the non-inclusion of the Kulevi port in our 20th sanctions package.”

The EU special representative also thanked Georgia’s authorities for denying access to the port to the tanker Truvor (IMO 9676230). The Russian-flagged tanker is under Ukrainian sanctions for transporting Russian oil. According to data from the vessel tracking service Starboard Maritime Intelligence, Truvor departed the port of Novorossiysk in Russia’s Krasnodar Region on Dec. 14. The tanker’s route then listed the Georgian ports of Poti from Dec. 16 to Dec. 19 and Kulevi from Dec. 19 to Dec. 21. In early March, the tanker approached the port of Batumi, where it remains.

Reuters previously reported that as the EU prepared its 20th sanctions package, it considered sanctioning ports in third countries for the first time. The draft document mentioned two facilities: the port of Kulevi in Georgia and the port of Karimun in Indonesia, which were said to be involved in transshipping Russian oil in circumvention of Western sanctions. The 20th package has not yet been adopted due to objections from Hungary and Slovakia.

According to The Insider’s recent investigation into the port at Kulevi, exports of Georgian petroleum products in January 2026 rose 3,300% year-on-year. That surge was linked to the opening of the new refinery in Kulevi, which received its first oil tanker in October 2025. The family that owns the refinery is linked to Russia, while its oil is delivered by “shadow fleet” vessels. Experts suggest the Kulevi refinery is selling Russian petroleum products disguised as its own.