The European Union failed to agree on the 18th sanctions package against Russia but extended existing restrictions

The European Council did not reach an agreement on the implementation of the 18th sanctions package against the Russian Federation. The main obstacle was Slovakia’s position, which blocked the adoption of new restrictions. Discussions on this issue are expected to resume in the coming days.

This is reported by AgroReview

The EU has extended existing sanctions for another six months

Despite the lack of progress on a new package, the leaders of the European Union countries managed to agree on the extension of the already existing sanctions against Russia for another six months. Thus, the current pressure on Russia will remain unchanged at least until the end of 2025.

“The heads of EU countries managed to agree on the six-month extension of previously imposed sanctions against Russia.”

Ukraine coordinates sanctions pressure and calls for new measures

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree implementing the decision of the National Security and Defense Council regarding the alignment of Ukraine’s sanctions policy with the EU and other international partners. Kyiv aims to achieve maximum synchronization of sanctions pressure for effective resistance to Russian aggression.

In addition, Ukraine plans to appeal to the European Union with a call to impose sanctions against Bangladeshi companies that import grain from temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. Such actions are aimed at stopping the illegal trade of Ukrainian agricultural products.

Separately, Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized the need to create a new international platform for monitoring the export of dual-use goods. According to him, this initiative will help stop the supply to Russia, Iran, and North Korea of components used in the production of weapons. The president highlighted that last year, machinery for the Russian military-industrial complex was supplied from at least 12 countries around the world.