The European Union is facing a "creative crisis" regarding the 19th package of EU sanctions against Russia, Politico reports, writes UNN.
The 19th package of proposed sanctions against Russia is due to be published in early September, but officials, who are working hard to meet this deadline, are facing an obstacle: a creative crisis
After the EU imposed a series of tough restrictions on Moscow's oil and gas supplies by summer - and committed to completely phasing out energy exports - "it is not immediately obvious how Brussels can further increase economic pressure on the Kremlin," the publication writes.
Four European diplomats said they do not expect major new oil and gas measures in the new package. Instead, Brussels hopes it can persuade US President Donald Trump to use America's global financial leverage to hit the Russian economy where it hurts if Moscow does not facilitate his planned peace talks, the publication indicates.
One area where new restrictions are being considered is the right of Russian diplomats to travel freely within the Schengen area. This means that an envoy with a visa, for example, from Portugal, can appear in Central and Northern Europe, where Moscow has been repeatedly accused of sabotage and influence schemes.
The idea of depriving Russian diplomats of travel rights, which was previously voiced at the beginning of the war, did not receive much support. But due to a lack of fresh ideas, war-minded capitals hope that the time has come.
"Just as Cato the Elder repeated that Carthage must be destroyed, I will continue to propose ending the free movement of Russian diplomats in the Schengen area," said Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský, who is promoting new travel restrictions, arguing that this privilege is "abused to facilitate sabotage operations."
Frozen assets of the Russian Federation
Separately, European Commissioner for Economy Valdis Dombrovskis will brief EU foreign ministers on how to generate more revenue from frozen Russian assets during their meeting in Copenhagen on Saturday. So far, demands to fully confiscate the funds have not been met, and EU governments have only agreed to direct the profits generated from these assets to Ukraine.
Dombrovskis will gauge the appetite of EU capitals for moving nearly 200 billion euros worth of assets into riskier investments that could generate more profit for Ukraine. The Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU, in its invitation letter to ministers, wrote that the discussion should consider "further options for using the revenues coming from immobilized Russian sovereign assets."
However, a breakthrough is considered unlikely, the publication writes. One European Commission official noted that Ukraine's budget and the IMF report on Ukraine's finances, which will provide a clearer picture of the country's economic needs, have not yet been adopted.