Updated · Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty · Jul 18
EU Misses July 15 Deadline for 21st Russia Sanctions as Greece, Austria Press Demands
Updated
Updated · Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty · Jul 18
EU Misses July 15 Deadline for 21st Russia Sanctions as Greece, Austria Press Demands
3 articles · Updated · Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty · Jul 18
Summary
Six weeks after the package was proposed, all 27 EU states still have not approved the 21st Russia sanctions round, and diplomats say key measures have been stripped back or dropped.
Greece has tied the deal to an open-ended exemption from a 2027 ban on EU shipments of Russian LNG to non-EU countries, while Austria wants compensation over Raiffeisen’s claimed 2.5 billion euro expropriation in Russia.
A proposed ban on Russian fish imports was scrapped after exemption demands, and an automatic Schengen entry ban for Russian ex-combatants was reduced to a pledge to seek future visa-code changes.
EU ambassadors extended the Urals oil price cap at $44.10 only until July 23 and will meet again on July 22, after Middle East disruption around Hormuz complicated the cap debate.
The package is still expected to add more than 250 Russian individuals and firms, banks, and shadow-fleet vessels, though even the blacklist was diluted after Bulgaria vetoed three proposed names.