Member countries of the European Union agreed on the 19th package of sanctions against Russia as a result of its war against Ukraine, the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU announced on Wednesday evening. Slovakia has blocked it until now, informs the TASR special reporter. “We are pleased to announce that we have just received notification from the remaining member state that it is now able withdraw its reservation to the 19th package of sanctions,” the Danish presidency said in a statement.
The news was also confirmed by Alexander Kováč from the Slovak Government Office. “It should be emphasized that all Slovakia’s requirements were included in the proposed conclusions of the European Council,” he told TASR. After this declaration, the written approval procedure by the Council of the EU began. “If no objections are raised, the package will be accepted tomorrow (on Thursday) until 8:00 a.m.,” the presidency added.
The aim of the 19th sanctions package is even more to limit Moscow’s energy revenues and increase pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putinto start negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine. The proposed measures include a ban on imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia from 2027, target the so-called shadow fleet of tankers, Russian banks, lenders in Central Asia and several cryptocurrency exchanges. The package also includes restrictions on the movement of Russian diplomats within the EU.
The head of EU diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, announced on Monday that an agreement on a new package of sanctions could be reached already during the Thursday summit in Brussels. At the same time, she announced that after its adoption, the EU should start working on the 20th package of anti-Russian sanctions.
