Politico: Malta resists new sanctions package against Russia, Slovakia may soon support it

Malta is resisting the adoption of the European Unionʼs 18th package of sanctions against Russia. Slovakia, which previously blocked it, may soon change its position.

Politico writes about this, citing sources among European diplomats.

At the Coreper meeting on 13 July, Malta joined Slovakia in opposing the adoption of sanctions against Russia. It opposes lowering the price ceiling for Russian oil. Malta has a large tanker fleet and its economy is heavily dependent on oil transportation.

The European Commission is currently proposing to set a price cap on Russian energy exports at 15% of the market price, to be reviewed every six months based on the average of the previous three months.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said his country could support a new package of EU sanctions against Russia on Tuesday, but first he wants to reach an agreement on mitigating the effects of a proposed ban on Russian gas imports into the EU.

• On June 17, the European Commission proposed to completely stop imports of oil and gas from Russia by the end of 2027. Under the proposal, new contracts for the import of Russian gas would be prohibited from January 1, 2026.
• On June 23, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said that Hungary and Slovakia would not support the 18th package of sanctions against Russia. According to him, both countries are against the European Unionʼs plans to completely abandon imports of Russian energy resources.
• Later, Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar said his country was ready to support the 18th package of sanctions. But Slovakia needed “guarantees” and €20 billion in support to mitigate the consequences of being cut off from Russian energy sources.

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