Sources from EU: Council of Europe won't vote on 18th Russia sanctions package on 18 July
Discussions on the EU’s 18th sanctions package against Russia at a meeting of the EU General Affairs Council on 18 July have been scheduled under Any Other Business (AOB), which means there will be no voting or decision-making.
According to diplomatic sources, including a senior diplomat from a key EU member state, EU foreign ministers will not vote on the 18th sanctions package at the Foreign Affairs Council meeting on 18 July.
The senior diplomat told European Pravda that at the request of several states, sanctions against Russia will be discussed tomorrow under AOB on the General Affairs Council meeting agenda. Ministers will exchange views, and some will voice concern over the blockage of the 18th sanctions package by two countries. However, no final decision will be made, the diplomat said.
Another EU diplomatic representative added that the sanctions issue has been brought to the General Affairs Council by Germany and Sweden.
The official also explained that the sanctions package must be formally approved by the EU’s Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper), which "can be convened as soon as consensus is reached".
Once Coreper approves the sanctions, the 18th package may then be formally adopted by the EU Council via written procedure.
Slovakia and Malta are continuing to block the adoption of the 18th EU sanctions package against Russia.
European Pravda previously reported that at a Coreper meeting in Brussels on 16 July, ambassadors of EU member states once again failed to reach an agreement on the 18th sanctions package.
That same day, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico sent a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calling for the sanctions package vote to be postponed until Slovakia’s demands regarding Russian gas are met. Slovakia has been blocking further sanctions by demanding guarantees from the European Commission that the country will not suffer losses when the EU fully phases out Russian gas in 2028.
Malta reportedly has concerns over the proposed reduction of the price cap on Russian oil.
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19 of July 2025
