The EU flag in the European Parliament, Photo: FREDERICK FLORIN / AFP / Profimedia
Austria said on Saturday it would agree to the European Union's latest sanctions package against Russia, in a shift that removes a crucial hurdle ahead of next week's vote, Reuters reports.
EU foreign ministers are due to meet in Luxembourg on Monday, hoping to finalize the 19th package of sanctions against Russia.
Reuters had reported this month that passage of the package was stalled because Vienna wanted the EU to unfreeze some Russian assets to compensate Austria's Raiffeisen Bank International RBIV.VI for sanctions imposed by Russia.
However, other EU governments disagreed. The package needs the unanimous support of the 27 member states of the EU bloc.
“Austria supports continued pressure on Russia and will approve the 19th package of sanctions on Monday,” the country's foreign ministry said in a statement.
The sanctions package includes a range of energy and financial measures, including a ban on Russian liquefied natural gas from January 1, 2027, a year ahead of schedule.
Slovakia has also expressed reservations about the package, but four EU diplomats said they expected the EU executive to issue a letter on Monday that should address Slovak concerns.
Neither Slovakia's foreign ministry nor the European Commission immediately responded to a request for comment.
The 18 waves of European sanctions introduced so far in response to the war launched by the Kremlin against Ukraine in February 2022 have tried to undermine Russia's national budget, with measures ranging from asset freezes to an almost complete ban on Russian oil imports, AFP wrote in September, when the 19th package was launched.
