European Commission prepares additional sanctions to 18th package of restrictions against Russia and Belarus - media
The European Commission has proposed to add new restrictions on Belarus to the draft 18th package of sanctions against Russia, as well as sanctions on software used by Russian banks.
This was reported by several diplomats from key EU countries on condition of anonymity to a Yevropeiska Pravda correspondent, Censor.NET reports.
According to the sources, the European Commission's proposals relate primarily to software in the financial services sector and certain measures against Belarus. In addition, the member states propose to include in the 18th package tighter control over potential sanctions circumvention schemes, sanctions against Russian companies operating in the field of cryptocurrencies, and new restrictions on the movement of Russian diplomats in the EU.
Coreper plans to return to discussing the package this week. According to diplomats, the EU countries are close to a compromise, but there is still a significant amount of technical work to be done, so approval of the package this week is unlikely.
As noted, regarding the positions of Hungary and Slovakia, which had previously stated that the sanctions package could be blocked over the issue of Russian energy supplies, the interlocutors noted that many EU member states are raising the issue of energy security.
