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European Union member statesfailed to agree on a ninth package of sanctions against Russia in talks late on Wednesday, diplomats said as EU leaders gathered in Brussels on Thursday for their last summit in 2022, diplomats said.
Member states came closer to an agreement during Wednesday's talks, but Poland and some other countries still have objections, an EU diplomat told Reuters, adding that a new draft was expected to be released on Thursday night.
The new sanctions on Moscow are being postponed because of disagreement over whether the EU should make it easier for Russian fertilizer exports to pass through European ports, even if the fertilizer companies are owned by blacklisted Russian oligarchs.
Some say the EU restrictions pose a threat to food security for developing countries, while others argue that easing them will allow Russian oligarchs who own fertilizer businesses to avoid EU sanctions.
An EU diplomat said Poland and the Baltic states are telling other countries that they are deluding themselves if they believe the easing of measures on Russian fertilizer will not be used as a loophole by Russian oligarchs.
Source: CNA
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