By Lili Bayer, Julia Payne and Anna Hirtenstein BRUSSELS, Dec 15 (Reuters) - The European Union adopted fresh sanctions against Russian oil interests on Monday, targeting traders Murtaza Lakhani and Etibar Eyyub for helping Moscow to circumvent Western sanctions on crude exports that help to fund Russia's war in Ukraine.

Oil revenue is a key part of Russia's economy, allowing President Vladimir Putin to pour money into the war effort against Ukraine without worsening inflation for everyday people and avoiding a currency collapse.

The European Union has implemented new sanctions against individuals and entities involved in Russia's “shadow fleet” of oil tankers, part of its ongoing response to the Ukraine invasion.

Leaders of eight easternmost European Union nations are gathering in Helsinki on Tuesday to plot a roadmap for how to secure as much funding as possible for building up defenses against Russia.

Russia’s central bank has launched a major damages claim against Euroclear as the EU considers deploying frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine.

Russia’s Central Bank says it has filed a lawsuit against Belgian financial institution Euroclear. That's the Brussels-based clearing house that holds most of Moscow’s frozen assets in Europe.

The Council of the European Union has imposed sanctions on a further five individuals and four organisations deemed responsible for supporting Russia's shadow fleet. Source: a press release by the Council of the EU,

Imports dipped after the invasion, and Europe placed sanctions on a number of executives at Russian fertiliser companies. But it soon made clear that the companies themselves, and the commodities they sell,

The European Union is set to lock up Russia’s assets in Europe until Russia ends its war on Ukraine and compensates for the damage

Belgium blocks EU plan to seize Russian assets for Ukraine aid, citing serious fears of Putin retaliation and potential war escalation against Europe.

The talks in Berlin are another step towards ending Russia's war in Ukraine, though much work remains to secure a settlement.