The Central European country blocked the 18th Russia sanctions package on Tuesday, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced after a meeting with EU foreign ministers in Brussels. She was"really sad" that the sanctions were not approved, Kallas said, but she hoped an agreement could be reached on Wednesday.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico wants to enforce an exemption clause for his country that would allow him to extend a gas supply contract with the Russian state-owned company Gazprom until 2034. The EU's goal is to end all gas imports from Russia by January 1, 2028. Last month, the EU Commission proposed the 18th package of sanctions against Russia because of the war in Ukraine. The targets include not only Russian gas and oil exports, but also Russian banks and the arms industry.

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Kallas announced that EU foreign ministers would discuss how to deal with frozen Russian assets at the end of August."It's important that everyone hears everyone else's arguments. This way, we can also find compromises that take these sensitivities into account." Some EU states want to transfer the Russian funds to Ukraine, while others have reservations.

Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger (Neos) called for"determination from the European side" regarding the sanctions package before the Council. There had recently been some movement in the negotiations in this regard, especially regarding the controversial oil price cap included in the package. The EU wants to reduce the price cap on Russian oil from the current $60 to $45 per barrel. The goal is to reduce Moscow's budget for the war against Ukraine.

Meinl-Reisinger: Increase pressure on Russia

EU foreign policy chief Kallas told reporters before the Council that she expected a political agreement soon; she hoped"today or tomorrow," but that much remained to be done. The Estonian also welcomed the US announcement that it intended to supply weapons to Ukraine. Meinl-Reisinger stated that she regretted"that we as Europe cannot continue to demonstrate our strength with another package of sanctions." The issues of energy prices and the blockade of member states remained.

However, it is"encouraging" that "the Trump administration has lost patience and is prepared to increase pressure on Russia with harsh sanctions." She believes this is necessary. (Russian President Vladimir Putin, ed.) Putin talks of peace, but continues to subject Ukraine"night after night" to the most severe attacks. She will also discuss this issue next week with her counterpart Marco Rubio in Washington."We see a sign of strength for peace from the USA," said the NEOS politician. Now it is necessary to talk with partners from around the world to"increase the pressure now." But this determination must also be seen on the European side. Austria supports this.