Ambassadors from European Union member states have once again failed to reach agreement on the 21st package of sanctions against Russia. This was reported by a Radio Free Europe correspondent following a meeting of the EU Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper) on Wednesday 15 July. The price cap on Russian oil is due to expire on that day.
According to an EU diplomat, member states have agreed to keep the price cap on Russian oil at its current level until at least Thursday 23 July. This should allow additional time to work through outstanding issues, in particular regarding the economic and technical implications of the measures proposed in the 21st sanctions package.
On the eve of the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, stated that member states were close to reaching an agreement, though she acknowledged that the package had not yet been approved.
The 21st sanctions package, proposed by the European Commission, provides, in particular, for further restrictions on Russia’s energy and financial sectors, a ban on entry to the EU for Russian military personnel, and a price cap on Russian oil.
The European Commission presented the 21st sanctions package for discussion by EU member states on 9 June. The Council of the EU and the European Commission had hoped to reach agreement on it before the summer recess of the EU institutions. It was proposed to include, for the first time, an EU travel ban on Russian military personnel who had fought against Ukraine; however, following discussions, this provision was watered down due to opposition from southern member states, which receive large numbers of Russian tourists.
On 13 July, ahead of the European Council meeting in Brussels, the foreign ministers of several EU countries stated that the economic interests of certain EU member states remain the main obstacle to the adoption of the 21st package of sanctions against Russia.