EU again failed to agree on a new package of sanctions against Russia due to Germany's position

The European Union countries failed to agree on the 14th package of sanctions against Russia. Germany continued to slow down the approval of restrictions, despite the cancellation of a clause that Berlin considered problematic. This is reported by Reuters with reference to EU diplomats, reports UNN. 

Details 

Officials from 27 EU countries have reportedly been discussing the sanctions package for more than a month. The new measures include a ban on transshipment of Russian liquefied natural gas  and the introduction of liability of European operators for violations of sanctions by subsidiaries and partners in third countries.

According to diplomats and a source familiar with the matter, Germany's indecision is partly due to internal disagreements between its foreign ministry and Chancellor Olaf Scholz's office.

The deleted clause, which Berlin considered problematic, extended the so-called "non-Russian clause" to subsidiaries in third countries. According to them, the paragraph of Article 12g was excluded from the compromise text distributed to Member States shortly before the meeting of ambassadors on Wednesday late in the evening.

According to the draft early version of the package, this clause was supposed to force subsidiaries "to contractually prohibit re-export to Russia and re-export for use in the Russian Federation.

The EU is constantly tightening sanctions against Moscow for its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, but Russia has learned to circumvent its efforts to circumvent sanctions through third countries. The inclusion of this item would further strengthen the bloc's measures, writes Reuters.

Addition 

On June 15, it was already reported that the European Union did not agree on the 14th package of sanctions against Russia due to German objections.

A new package of sanctions against the Russian Federation should be agreed in the EU before the summit on June 27.