WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
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AUTHOR: M.J. GDNUS
European Union member states are close to reaching an agreement on a new package of sanctions against Russia, said EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas today.
“We hope to reach a political agreement on the eighteenth package of sanctions. We are very, very close. I hope it will happen today,” Kallas said ahead of a meeting of foreign ministers from the 27 EU member states in Brussels.
Sources told Reuters on Monday that all elements of the package have already been agreed upon, although one member state still has reservations regarding the proposed reduction of the price cap on Russian oil.
“It’s still alive,” Kallas said, responding to a question about the price cap.
“We have made proposals, but the question is whether we can overcome the veto of one member state or not. We are working on it.”
The European Commission proposed the eighteenth package of sanctions against Russia last month, in response to the invasion of Ukraine, targeting Moscow’s energy revenues, its banks, and military industry.
The new package includes a ban on transactions related to Russia’s Nord Stream gas pipelines, as well as on banks involved in circumventing sanctions.
It also proposes introducing a flexible price cap on Russian oil, which would be set 15% below the average market price of crude oil over the previous three months, according to EU diplomats.
