EU plans 20th sanctions package

The European Union anticipates approving the twentieth package of sanctions against Russia and is preparing for the final stages of negotiations.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto stated that Budapest would 'block' the new package if Ukraine does not restore the transit of Russian oil products via the 'Druzhba' pipeline to Hungary and Slovakia. In response, EU foreign minister Kaja Kallas noted that there would be no progress at today's meeting of ministers in Brussels, but 'we will discuss the 20th sanctions package.' According to her, further efforts are planned despite the lack of specific decisions.

This confirms the standard European stance of 'unified action' and indicates a possible new phase of pressure on the Russian economy.

Context

This package follows the previous set of sanctions introduced in 2022-2023 and concerns strengthening economic restrictions against the Russian government and key sectors.