Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev
The European Union has delayed a decision on its proposed 21st package of sanctions against Russia after member states failed to reach the unanimous agreement required during talks in Brussels.
EU representatives agreed to postpone further discussions until July 23, pushing back a possible deal on the new restrictive measures. The delay also affects the bloc's price cap on Russian crude oil exports, which was due to expire but has now been extended for another week.
The current price ceiling remains set at USD44 per barrel. The measure is intended to reduce Russia's oil revenues, which the EU says continue to finance a substantial part of Moscow's war effort in Ukraine.
The absence of consensus among member states prevented both the adoption of the new sanctions package and an immediate decision on the future of the oil price cap.
