EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas said she hoped for a swift agreement on the bloc’s new package of sanctions against Russia, including ceilings and prices on Russian oil exports.
“We hope that either today or tomorrow we will adopt the 18th package of sanctions,” Kallas said ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.
Under the plans, the international price cap on Russian oil exports would be lowered to $45 a barrel from $60 a barrel, but the measure failed to win unanimous support at the Group of Seven meeting.
“Even if the Americans don’t support it, but the other G7 countries do, we will move forward,” Kallas said after arriving at a meeting of EU foreign ministers.
Earlier, Kallas also commented on US President Donald Trump’s threat to Russia to impose duties if a peace agreement is not reached within 50 days. She noted that “50 days is a very long time when you consider that innocent civilians are being killed every day.”
EU foreign ministers will meet in Brussels on Tuesday to discuss new sanctions against Russia and the war in Ukraine.
Earlier, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fitzo said Bratislava aims to reach an agreement with the European Commission and EU partners by Tuesday on guarantees that it will not be affected by the cut-off of Russian gas supplies, as well as a new package of sanctions against Russia.
Slovakia is blocking the EU’s 18th package of sanctions because of its opposition to a separate European Commission proposal to halt all Russian gas imports from 2028, which Slovakia says could lead to shortages, higher prices and transit fees, as well as claims from Russian supplier Gazprom for damages.
The European Commission’s proposal to stop Russian energy imports from 2028 requires the support of most EU countries, but not unanimity.
However, approval of sanctions against Russia requires unanimity, so Slovakia has conflated the two issues and refused to support the sanctions package until its energy concerns are addressed.
The European Commission presented the draft sanctions in June, with the main proposal being to lower the price ceiling on Russian oil from the current $60 a barrel to $45. Since the policy is coordinated within the Group of Seven (G7), the EU tried to get approval from other G7 countries, particularly the US, during a summit in Canada last month.