At least six European Union countries are refusing to support the bloc's 21st sanctions package against Russia without softening amendments, the Financial Times reported, citing five European diplomats.
Greece, France, Italy, Germany, Austria and Portugal have demanded exemptions from the sanctions draft, which originally included more than 250 individuals and entities. According to the FT, negotiations have been ongoing for four days without result — EU sanctions decisions require unanimity.
Greece has taken the hardest line, threatening to block the entire package unless a proposed ban on transporting Russian liquefied natural gas to third countries is removed. The FT noted that Greek tanker magnate George Procopiou is lobbying for the softening. His company Dynagas has shipped more than 30 million tonnes of LNG from the Arctic Yamal LNG project since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine — cargo worth over $24 billion. One tanker, the Fyodor Litke, alone transported fuel worth more than $4 billion.
Portugal and Germany oppose a ban on purchasing Russian fish, citing the interests of their local fish-processing industries. France and Italy are pushing for eased visa restrictions for Russian military personnel. Austria is repeating its demand to unfreeze €2 billion in Russian assets — to compensate Raiffeisen Bank for a fine imposed by Moscow.
The scale of opposition from European capitals has reached an unprecedented level, diplomats acknowledged. One FT interlocutor noted that countries which continued doing business with Russia in 2022–2023 are now being targeted by the new restrictions — precisely in the sectors that remain the main sources of Moscow's revenue.
"If everyone demands exemptions and loopholes, then at the end of the process each sanctions package will turn out to be just an empty shell," one diplomat told the FT.