Greece has opposed the European Union’s proposed 21st package of sanctions against Russia, preventing the bloc from moving forward with new restrictions targeting Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, the Financial Times reported, citing sources familiar with the negotiations.
According to the report, Athens raised concerns that the planned ban on transporting Russian LNG to third countries could negatively affect Greece’s shipping sector. The Greek ambassador to the EU reportedly warned that the measure would impact the business interests of Greek shipping magnate Georgios Prokopiou, whose company Dynagas is involved in transporting cargo from the Russian Arctic Yamal LNG project.
Prokopiou, whose wealth is estimated by Forbes at USD4.7 billion, has previously argued that sanctions against Russia are ineffective and do not achieve their intended goals.
Greece’s objection has delayed the approval of the sanctions package, which requires unanimous support from all EU member states. The latest dispute follows previous difficulties in reaching an agreement, with Greece and Austria also blocking progress in recent days over concerns related to energy and financial measures included in the package.
