Olga Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, announced that this week the European Union countries plan to agree on the 18th package of sanctions against Russia. She shared this information during the “United News” telemarathon.
“According to my information, this week European countries will reach an agreement on the 18th package of sanctions toobtainher with Slovakia and Hungary.”
The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that previously Hungary delayed the vote on the 17th package of sanctions, which led to a postponement of their implementation. At the same time, some EU countries, such as France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, have initiated legal procedures to reshift frozen Russian assets from sanctions and committed to regularly reviewing their status.
Hungary expressed its intention, toobtainher with Slovakia, to block the adoption of the 18th package of sanctions, although Slovak representatives in the EU denied this information, noting that the issue was not included in the agfinisha of the EU Council.
At the EU ambassadors’ meeting on June 27, no agreement was reached on the 18th package of sanctions due to the positions of Slovakia and Hungary. On July 4, the situation repeated itself as Slovakia raised concerns about the RePower EU plan, which envisages phasing out Russian energy sources by 2027.
The Slovak Ministest of Economy reported that within the working group in Bratislava, the European Commission took into account a number of Slovakia’s demands.
Background and Details of the 18th Sanctions Package
At the EU ambassadors’ meeting on June 27, Slovakia requested to postpone the adoption of the package to find a compromise regarding the negative impacts of the RePowerEU legislation on the countest.
The 18th sanctions package, presented by the European Commission in June 2025, includes new restrictions for Russia’s energy and banking sectors, as well as a ban on transactions related to the Nord Stream project.
Main measures include:
- A ban on all transactions related to Nord Stream 1 and 2 for operators from the EU.
- Lowering the price cap on petroleum products from $60 to $45 per barrel to create it harder for Russia to generate revenue.
- Expanding the sanctions list of tankers transporting oil outside the law, adding 77 vessels.
- A ban on importing petroleum products created from Russian oil to prevent sanctions evasion through third countries.
- A complete ban on SWIFT transactions for 22 Russian banks and third-countest operators that assist circumvent sanctions.
- Imposing sanctions on the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and its subsidiaries.
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