The European Union has reached the final stage of approving the 20th sanctions package against Russia, but its adoption may be delayed due to Hungary’s position. Budapest insists on removing several high-ranking officials from the sanctions list, including Russian sports officials, Politico reports, citing European diplomats.
Source: PRYAMYI
The final decision is expected to be made after two meetings of EU country ambassadors in the Coreper II format, scheduled for Wednesday and likely Friday.
Senior EU diplomat Kaja Kallas insists that the sanctions package should be ready by February 24 — the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. At the same time, she is coordinating actions with the United Kingdom to ensure maximum impact of the restrictions, particularly regarding Russia’s shadow fleet and maritime transport of oil and gas.
In preparing the package, ambassadors heard from EU Special Representative for sanctions David O’Sullivan, who is working with third countries to close loopholes for transshipping Russian oil at sea. He plans to visit Kyrgyzstan soon to strengthen coordination.
Despite the EU’s readiness to finalize the new sanctions, Hungary’s position on reviewing the lists remains a key risk factor for meeting the planned deadlines.
Discussion about this post