The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, expressed confidence in the swift adoption of a new, already 18th sanctions package from the European Union against Russia. According to her, a decision may be made soon, with the main topic remaining the limitation of prices on the export of Russian oil.
This is reported by Kyiv24
New restrictions on the export of Russian oil
Among the key initiatives of the sanctions package is a plan to lower the maximum price for the export of Russian oil from $60 to $45 per barrel. This proposal was presented at the G7 meeting, but has not yet received unanimous support from all participants, including the United States.
“We hope that either today or tomorrow we will adopt the 18th sanctions package,” Kallas said ahead of the EU foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels.
Kallas also noted that even without support from the United States, the EU will continue to work on sanctions together with other G7 countries.
Slovakia’s position and discussions on gas
However, the process of adopting sanctions is complicated by Slovakia’s position, which is blocking the approval of the package due to its disagreement with the European Commission’s proposed complete cessation of Russian gas imports by 2028. Slovakia fears that this will lead to a shortage of energy resources, rising prices, and additional transit fees. Furthermore, there is a risk of claims from Russian Gazprom for compensation for losses.
According to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, Bratislava seeks to reach a compromise with the European Commission and EU countries regarding guarantees of energy security and the protection of national interests.
It is worth noting that to approve the proposal for a complete cessation of Russian energy imports by 2028, the support of a majority of EU countries is sufficient, while the approval of the sanctions package requires unanimity. This is why Slovakia has linked these issues and is currently withholding support for the new sanctions package until its concerns regarding energy are addressed.
The draft of the new sanctions was presented by the European Commission in June. The main goal is to further reduce the price cap on Russian oil, coordinated in cooperation with G7 countries. The issues were discussed during the summit in Canada last month, but a decision has yet to be made.