Lithuania’s Foreign Minister-designate Kęstutis Budrys said Monday he hopes European Union member states will approve the bloc’s 21st package of sanctions against Russia by the end of the month, warning that failure to reach a deal would undermine the EU’s credibility.
Speaking ahead of a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, Budrys said negotiations on the latest sanctions package have exposed growing divisions among member states.
“The trend that emerged with the 20th package and continues with the 21st is that countries are increasingly prioritising their economic interests, thereby pushing aside stronger decisions or even seeking to revise previous ones,” he said.
According to Budrys, disagreements over tighter restrictions on the transport of liquefied natural gas remain the main obstacle to an agreement.
“We want that activity to be banned. As is known, there are not many ships in the world capable of transporting liquefied gas, and many of them are in Europe. So yes, these blocks of issues are the main hindrances,” he said.
