EU indefinitely postpones 19th sanctions package against Russia

The European Union has indefinitely postponed the presentation of its 19th sanctions package against Russia, which was expected on Wednesday, September 17.

The magazine Politico based its report on a European diplomat and an EU official. The postponement was later confirmed by a source at the Bloomberg news agency.

According to Politico, the matter was removed from the agenda of the Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper II), which consists of the permanent representatives of EU member states.

The reason cited for this decision is a focus by US President Donald Trump and the EU on increasing pressure on Slovakia and Hungary to reduce their dependence on Russian oil.

Coreper II is composed of the heads of mission (permanent representatives) of EU member states and deals primarily with political, financial, and foreign policy issues.

Trump finds EU sanctions insufficient

The EU adopted the previous 18th sanctions package in mid-July. These restrictions targeted the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines and 105 tankers belonging to the shadow fleet.

The sanctions also covered a Rosneft oil refinery in India.

Additionally, measures were taken against 14 individuals and 41 entities. The EU lowered the price cap for Russian oil from $60 to $47.6 per barrel and banned the import of petroleum products made from Russian crude oil.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot had stated that the 19th sanctions package was supposed to be presented on September 15.

According to Barrot, the measures, prepared in coordination with the US President, were intended to exert “enormous” pressure on Russia.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had noted that the new package was planned for adoption in early September to “continue putting pressure on Russia’s war economy.”

What was in the new package?

According to Politico, the 19th package was not going to include new restrictions on energy sales; instead, it would target “shadow fleet” vessels that Brussels claims are circumventing sanctions to supply oil.

Sources speaking to AFP said the targets could have been oil refineries in third countries involved in exporting Russian oil to the EU, as well as trading firms working with Russian oil.

The report also mentioned that sanctions were proposed against the Russian oil company LUKOIL and its subsidiary Litasco.

In addition, France and Germany had called for tightening sanctions against numerous banks and cryptocurrency exchanges in Central Asia.

Meanwhile, the news portal Euractiv wrote that some European countries had proposed a complete entry ban for Russian citizens into the EU.

Politico reported on a separate item that the freedom of movement for Russian diplomats within the Schengen Area could be restricted. This initiative, proposed by Czechia, would require diplomatic personnel to remain only in the country where they are accredited.

The US does not consider the European countries’ sanctions to be harsh enough. President Donald Trump said the reason for the sanctions’ ineffectiveness is that EU countries continue to purchase energy resources from Russia.

Washington has stated its readiness to implement serious sanctions against Russia if all NATO countries follow the US example and stop buying oil from Moscow.

The New York Times described this demand as “unfeasible.” According to Le Monde, Trump is directly pressuring his European allies, but his demands to halt Russian oil purchases and increase tariffs on Chinese goods are considered unacceptable by the allies.