EU-Member States Approve 18th Package of Sanctions Against Russia

Brussels, 18 July (TASR) - EU-member states approved the 18th package of sanctions against Russia on Friday, after Slovakia allowed its adoption following Premier Robert Fico’s announcement that the country received sufficient guarantees from the European Commission (EC) regarding the plan to halt Russian gas imports to the EU. „The EU has just approved one of its strongest sanctions packages against Russia,“ EU diplomacy chief Kaja Kallas confirmed on the X network afterwards. The 18th set of sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine is set to hit Moscow's revenues from the energy and military sectors, with the adopted measures including a lowered price cap on Russian oil and a ban on trade with companies operating the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, Kallas stated. „We're increasing pressure on Russia's military industry, Chinese banks that allow sanctions to be evaded, and blocking the export of technology used in drones. We'll keep raising costs so that ending aggression becomes becomes Moscow’s only option,“ Kallas noted. lin