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European Union foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said she is hopeful the bloc can decide on its 18th sanctions package on Russia very soon.<\/p>\n
“We are very, very close,” she said, adding that she expects a decision “today or tomorrow.”<\/p>\n
EU foreign affairs ministers are meeting in Brussels on Tuesday with new sanctions on Russia and the war in Ukraine being at the top of the agenda.<\/p>\n
The proposed set of punitive measures targets Russia’s financial and energy sectors in response to President Vladimir Putin\u2019s refusal to agree to an unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine.<\/p>\n
The sanctions were however put on hold after Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico said he is not ready to endorse the proposal, citing concerns over Slovakia’s gas imports.<\/p>\n
All of the EU’s 27 members have to back new sanctions before they can be implemented.<\/p>\n
German Minister of State for Europe Gunther Krichbaum said the new measures should be adopted “as quickly as possible.”<\/p>\n
“It is important to take decisive action now to ensure that Russia is put under pressure and that Ukraine is put in a very strong negotiating position,” he said.<\/p>\n
“Only then will it be possible to reach a fair agreement at the end of the day.”<\/p>\n
Under the plans, the international price cap on Russian oil exports would be lowered to $45 per barrel, down from $60 per barrel, but the measure failed to receive unanimous backing at a meeting of the Group of Seven (G7) advanced Western democracies last month.<\/p>\n
“Even if the Americans are not onboard, but the other G7 countries are onboard, then we will move on with this,” Kallas said, as she arrived to the meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers.<\/p>\n
Kallas said she welcomed the announcement by the US that it is sending defensive weapons to Ukraine, adding that she hopes “they will get all [that] they have been promised.”<\/p>\n
EU ministers also plan to discuss Russia’s war with their Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha, who plans to join the meeting by video-link.<\/p>\n
On the agenda of the meeting is also the situation in the Middle East, after the EU announced last week a deal with Israel on improving access to humanitarian aid in Gaza.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n