EU heads of state and government approve the twelfth package of sanctions against Russia. This emerges from the conclusions of the EU summit on Ukraine, which were published yesterday. According to a Council spokeswoman, the package itself still needs to be formally approved by the Council of Ministers of the Member States – this could happen tomorrow.
Austria withdrew its “review reservation” and agreed with the conclusions. EU ambassadors were initially unable to agree on a common position because of Austria.
Report: Austria sets conditions
Austria did not block the package; declared a “review reservation,” EU officials told APA. This means that a legal review is carried out by Itamaraty and the Federal Chancellery before approval.
According to media reports, the government only wanted to agree to the sanctions package if Ukraine removed Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) from the list of “international war sponsors.” There was no confirmation until the end.
The EU wants to weaken “Russia’s capabilities”.
The package is expected to contain more bans on the export and import of goods and add more people and companies to the sanctions list. A ban on importing diamonds from Russia will also likely be included.
“The European Union is determined to further weaken Russia’s ability to wage its war of aggression,” the conclusions state.
This must be done “including strengthening sanctions and their full and effective implementation and preventing their evasion, especially in the case of high-risk goods, in close cooperation with partners and allies”.