EU support for new sanctions against Russia is weakening due to the economic interests of individual countries – FT
Kyiv • UNN
Greece, France, Italy, Germany, Austria and Portugal are blocking or demanding exemptions from the 21st EU sanctions package. Diplomats warn that national economic interests are weakening sanctions policy.
In the European Union, support for new sanctions against Russia is waning as a number of states refuse to approve measures that could harm their companies. This is reported by the Financial Times, citing EU diplomats, writes UNN.
Details
According to the publication, Greece, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, and Portugal demanded exceptions to the 21st sanctions package or blocked its individual provisions. Due to the need for unanimous support, negotiations between EU country ambassadors lasted four days but ended without result.
The Financial Times notes that Greece opposes restrictions on the transportation of Russian liquefied natural gas to third countries, arguing that this poses risks for the shipping company Dynagas. According to Kpler, since the start of the full-scale war, its vessels have transported over 30 million tons of Russian LNG.
Countries protect their own interests
Portugal and Germany are pushing for the lifting of the ban on imports of Russian fish to support their own processing industry. France and Italy want to ease the ban on issuing visas to Russian military personnel, while Austria insists on unfreezing about 2 billion euros of Russian assets to compensate for losses at Raiffeisen Bank.
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Diplomats warn that more and more countries are prioritizing national economic interests, which could weaken the EU's sanctions policy toward Russia.
According to FT interlocutors, the delay in approving the 21st sanctions package comes amid hopes among Ukraine's allies that economic pressure will force Moscow to agree to peace talks. At the same time, more and more European capitals doubt that the new restrictions justify the potential losses to their own economies.