Austria Backs New EU Sanctions on Russia, Removing Key Obstacle
Austria has agreed to support the European Union's new, 19th package of sanctions against Russia, removing one of the main obstacles to its approval.
The Gaze reports on it, referring to Reuters.
After lengthy discussions, Austria changed its previous position and said it would support the next package of EU restrictive measures against Moscow in response to its continued war against Ukraine.
This decision unblocks the sanctions approval process, which had previously been blocked due to Vienna's demands to allow the use of some of Russia's frozen assets to compensate for losses incurred by the Austrian bank Raiffeisen Bank International, which Russia had fined.
The new package provides for additional restrictions in the energy and financial sectors. In particular, it includes a gradual ban on imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) from January 1, 2027 — a year earlier than previously planned.
Although Slovakia has also expressed concerns about this point, EU diplomats said the European Commission is preparing a letter of explanation to take its position into account.
EU foreign ministers are expected to approve the package on Monday at a meeting in Luxembourg. Its adoption will be another step in increasing economic pressure on the Kremlin in response to its ongoing aggression against Ukraine.
Read more on The Gaze: The EU’s 19th Sanctions Package: A Strategic Offensive Against the Kremlin’s War Machine