Ambassadors of the European Union countries were unable to agree on the 15th package of sanctions against Russia, which included the extension of the right to import Russian oil products to the Czech Republic, Meduza writes, citing Reuters.
The adoption of the package was blocked by two countries, but which ones were not specified. The reason for this was disagreement over the extension of the period during which European companies must withdraw their investments from Russia.
In addition, the debate arose when the extension of an exemption that allows the Czech Republic to continue to import diesel fuel and other products derived from Russian oil and produced at a Slovak refinery was discussed.
The 15th package also includes sanctions against tankers carrying Russian oil. EU members will return to agreement later.
After the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops, most EU countries banned oil imports from Russia. However, exceptions were made for Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic due to the lack of an alternative. However, the Czech Republic plans to modernize the pipeline from Italy to Germany and completely phase out Russian crude oil by the second half of 2025.
The 14th package of sanctions against Russia was approved in June 2024.