European Union envoys are set to approve a 20th package of sanctions against Russia, with Slovakia and Hungary expected to drop their opposition following repairs to the Druzhba oil pipeline, EU diplomats said on Wednesday.
The measures would strengthen efforts to curb Russian energy revenues and military supplies more than four years into Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, after the bloc failed to secure unanimous backing earlier this year.
Slovakia’s foreign minister said Bratislava was ready to support the package once oil deliveries via Druzhba resumed, arguing the measures would not significantly harm the Slovak economy.
Crude flows through the pipeline are expected to restart on Wednesday for the first time since a January drone strike, removing a key objection from Hungary. Its outgoing Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, had previously blocked further sanctions and a €90 billion loan for Ukraine.
The package stops short of immediately imposing a full ban on maritime services for Russian oil. Envoys agreed to the measure in principle but postponed implementation pending coordination with G7 partners.
If enforced, the ban could effectively end the G7 price cap regime, which allows access to Western shipping and insurance for Russian crude sold below a set threshold.
The sanctions also target Russia’s military-industrial base, including drone production and its so-called “shadow fleet”, and introduce phased restrictions on services for Russian LNG and icebreakers.
They include asset freezes and business bans on major Russian refineries and producers. For the first time, the EU would also use its anti-circumvention tool against a third country, Kyrgyzstan, alongside curbs linked to a foreign oil port and new protections for EU companies against Russian legal claims abroad.
Saudi Arabia has temporarily shut down its 1,200-kilometre East-West oil pipeline after it was hit by a drone attack, with Riyadh and Baghdad sayin...
Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces struck two cargo vessels overnight in the Ukrainian Black Sea port o...
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he would “love” to see British-run Northern Ireland unify...
Overnight Iranian strikes on an air base in Jordan damaged multiple U.S. aircraft and left one without a wing, American media reported. Meanwhile, explosions were heard across parts of southern Iran according to local media reports.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the weekend BRICS summit, amid the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict, joining a host of foreign dignitaries.
Ukrainian forces struck a Russian oil refinery in Siberia and a seaport in Dagestan in the past 24 hours, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. He will meet Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday to discuss air defences for Ukraine over winter.
Mexico and the U.S. are racing to secure a trade deal before the U.S. midterm elections in less than eight weeks, according to six sources familiar with the talks, with failed negotiations between Washington and Canada adding urgency.
A Russian strike on a gas station in Kyiv has killed two people, the city's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a statement on Telegram. In Russia, online marketplace Ozon has suspended operations in Saratov, southwestern Russia, following a drone strike on a warehouse in the region.
Saudi Arabia has temporarily shut down its 1,200-kilometre East-West oil pipeline after it was hit by a drone attack, with Riyadh and Baghdad saying the strike originated from Iraq.
Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces struck two cargo vessels overnight in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Chornomorsk, the Interfax news agency reported on Saturday.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he would “love” to see British-run Northern Ireland unify with Ireland, remarks made during a visit to Dublin that drew a sharp response from pro-British unionists in Northern Ireland.
BRICS leaders have called for maximum restraint over the war in the Middle East, warning against actions that could further worsen tensions as the United States and Iran resume strikes against each other.
Dubai’s property market has spent years climbing. Now, for the first time since 2021, prices are moving in the opposite direction.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment