EU Extends Russia Sanctions, Stalls on New Package

European Union leaders have agreed to prolong all existing sanctions against Russia for another six months, but failed to reach a consensus on the adoption of a new, 18th package of restrictive measures.

This development was reported by journalist Rikard Jozwiak of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, who cited diplomatic sources. According to Jozwiak, the bloc’s leaders managed to extend the already established sanctions without issue. However, the proposed new package remains stalled, with Slovakia continuing to withhold its support.

Jozwiak noted that the 18th sanctions package is still pending due to this lack of unanimity, with further discussions expected to resume at the level of EU ambassadors in the coming days. While previous attention had been focused on Hungary’s potential to veto the package, Jozwiak did not mention Budapest in his latest update.

The deadlock follows statements from Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who recently demanded that any decision on the new sanctions be postponed until concerns over energy security—specifically gas supplies after 2027—are resolved. Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár also indicated that Slovakia would support the measures, but only if the EU provides firm guarantees and support to address the consequences of a possible cutoff in Russian energy imports.

Meanwhile, Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa said she was uncertain whether agreement on the new measures could be reached at the 26 June summit but reaffirmed Latvia’s commitment to pursuing further sanctions targeting Russia.