The Lithuanian Foreign Minister spoke about the split in the EU due to sanctions against Russia

The failure of the European Union's attempts to agree on the 21st package of sanctions against Russia has revealed deep differences between the countries of the association. This was announced on July 13 by Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kastutis Budris before a meeting of the EU Council on Foreign Affairs in Brussels.

"This trend, which probably became apparent after the adoption of the 20th and 21st packages, is that countries are increasingly putting their economic interests first and, thus, postponing the adoption of more radical decisions or simply tend to reconsider earlier decisions," he said. the newspaper Kauno diena.

Budris called this trend "very bad" and expressed hope that the 21st package of sanctions would be approved by the end of July. The minister noted that restrictions on the transportation of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) remain the main subject of dispute. According to him, a number of countries are opposed to banning such activities, which is now the main obstacle to agreeing on a new package of sanctions.

Reach a disagreement: Several EU countries are blocking the 21st package of sanctions.

Due to a number of controversial points, it will not be accepted until the fall, experts say.

The head of the European Diplomacy, Kaya Kallas, announced on July 13 that the EU countries have not yet agreed on the 21st package of sanctions against Russia. She noted that instead of agreeing, the foreign ministers could expand the sanctions list and add 250 individuals and legal entities to it. Budris added that the participants could not agree on a ban on maritime transportation and stricter restrictions on LNG.

The Euractiv portal reported on July 10 that EU countries may not come to an agreement on a new package of sanctions against Russia due to disagreements on certain restrictions. One of the controversial issues was the ban on entry to the EU for Russian military personnel. EU countries are also discussing restrictions in the energy sector.