EU fails to consent recent Russia sanctions

(MENAFN) The European Union has failed to agree on the proposed 15th package of sanctions targeting Russia, according to Reuters, citing unnamed diplomats in Brussels. This package was designed to target Russian oil tanker fleets but was blocked by two EU member states. The disagreement reportedly centered around extending the deadline for EU companies to divest from Russia. While the two opposing countries were not officially named, Politico reported that Latvia and Lithuania were responsible. The EU plans to continue discussions on the sanctions package at a later date.

The EU has imposed a series of sanctions on Russia since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, including restrictions on oil imports. However, some countries, like the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary, received exemptions due to their reliance on Russian oil. The latest issue revolves around the extension of a temporary arrangement allowing Slovakia’s refiner, Slovnaft, to sell Russian oil-based products to the Czech Republic, which Prague plans to phase out by switching to alternative pipelines.

Ukrainian officials had proposed that the new sanctions target individuals and entities from at least eight countries, including Serbia, Iran, China, India, the UAE, and Thailand, for allegedly helping Russia procure critical military components. Additionally, the sanctions were set to include North Korean officials accused of sending troops to support Russia, although no concrete evidence of this was provided by Ukraine.

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