The European Union has postponed the planned presentation of the next, 19th sanctions package against the Russian Federation. It was previously expected that the European Commission would announce new restrictions on Wednesday, September 17, but those plans have changed.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Reasons for the Postponement of Sanctions
According to information obtained from an EU diplomat and a representative of the national authorities, the issue of sanctions was removed from the agenda of the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the Governments of Member States (Coreper II). The main reason for this was active discussions surrounding Slovakia and Hungary’s dependence on Russian oil. It has been noted that U.S. President Donald Trump and the European Union are currently pressuring these countries, trying to persuade them to reduce their imports of Russian energy resources.
Details regarding the new date for the presentation of the sanctions package remain unknown. It is only known that the information about the postponement was communicated to the capitals of EU member states on Monday evening. A spokesperson for the European Commission refrained from commenting on the situation.
Reactions from European Officials
Europe Editor Rikard Jozwiak, citing several EU officials, confirmed that the presentation of the sanctions has been postponed. At the same time, he noted that the announcement of the new package could take place as early as this week.
“European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated on September 10 that the EU is working on another sanctions package against Russia, which may include restrictions against its trading partners.”
Media reports have also indicated that Donald Trump has suggested that EU countries impose high import tariffs on goods from China and India. The aim of these actions is to convince Beijing and Delhi to reduce or completely abandon purchases of Russian energy resources, which could serve as another tool of pressure on Russia and its partners.