Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys on Thursday criticised concessions made to Russia in the energy sector as part of negotiations on the European Union’s latest sanctions package, saying they undermine the bloc’s overall pressure campaign against Moscow.
“The new sanctions package significantly increases pressure on the Russian financial sector and further restricts Russia’s access to capital markets. However, negotiations on the 21st package showed that EU sanctions policy decisions are increasingly driven by the economic interests of member states,” Budrys said in a statement.
“This dangerous trend not only limits the EU’s ability to increase pressure on Russia but also weakens the impact of sanctions already in place,” he added.
The latest sanctions package expands measures against Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, adding 41 vessels to the sanctions list and bringing the total number of sanctioned ships to 692. The EU also broadened the criteria for listing vessels and introduced a requirement to report sales of liquefied natural gas tankers.
The package further targets Russia’s financial sector, imposing sanctions on more than 80 Russian banks and extending transaction bans to another 33. Restrictions were also applied to four financial institutions operating in third countries and 14 crypto-asset service providers.
