EU discussing 19th package of anti-Russian sanctions

The European Union has begun informal discussions on a 19th package of anti-Russian sanctions, Czech MEP Tomas Zdechovsky said.

"Discussions on the 19th package are already underway, although they are at an early and informal stage. The main problem is sanctions fatigue - not political, but technical. After 18 packages, restrictions have already been imposed on most obvious targets," Zdechovsky said.

He told Izvestia that now the focus is on tightening controls, expanding secondary restrictions, and clarifying export and import controls.

The 18th package of anti-Russian sanctions has not yet been agreed upon within the EU. Hungary and Slovakia continue to oppose the European Commission’s plan to ban oil and gas supplies from Russia to the EU by early 2028.