EU countries adopt 19th package of sanctions against Russia

On Thursday morning, the member states of the European Union finally adopted the 19th package of sanctions against the Russian Federation.

The Danish EU Presidency had already announced on Wednesday that, after several weeks of intensive negotiations, the member states had agreed to adopt the package.

The new sanctions include measures against Russian LNG and oil infrastructure. The ban on Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) will be introduced in two phases: short-term contracts will expire after six months, long-term contracts after January 1, 2027. This means that the complete ban will come into force one year earlier than envisaged in the European Commission's plan to end the EU's dependence on Russian fossil fuels.

The new package also includes additional travel restrictions for Russian diplomats and lists 117 more ships from Moscow's so-called shadow fleet – mostly tankers – bringing the total number of listed ships to 558.

After initial resistance from Slovakia and Austria, both countries finally lifted their blockade.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer) had originally made his support conditional on the European Union taking concrete steps to address the crisis in the automotive industry and high energy prices. Fico described it as a success that Slovak pressure was reflected in the draft summit conclusions.

(reuters, max, mja)