Slovakia and Austria block approval of 19th package of EU sanctions against Russia - media
Two EU member states, Slovakia and Austria, are delaying approval of the 19th package of sanctions against Russia.
This was reported by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, according to Censor.NET.
At the EU ambassadors' talks in Brussels, Austria and Slovakia refuse to back down from their demands. Diplomats believe that the issue will not be resolved before the leaders meet at the EU summit on October 23.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico insists that the summit should first discuss the impact of sanctions on rising energy prices for Europeans. He is also using the delay in approval to obtain concessions on the EU's decision to ban the sale of new gasoline and diesel cars from 2035.
Austria, in turn, is demanding that sanctions be lifted against two Russian individuals—oligarch Oleg Deripaska and his business partner Dmitry Beloglazov—as well as three Russian companies associated with them, so as not to complicate Raiffeisen Bank's activities in Russia. This concerns frozen assets worth €2 billion in the Austrian construction company Strabag.
According to European officials, other EU member states are unhappy with these demands. They criticize the European Commission for including these points in the draft sanctions and are concerned that this could help the bank, which derives more than half of its income from its activities in Russia.
