Austria announced on Saturday 18 October that it would agree to the adoption of a new package of sanctions against Russia, removing one of the key obstacles to voting early next week.

Source: Reuters, as reported by European Pravda

Details: EU foreign ministers are set to meet on Monday in Luxembourg, where they hope to finalise the 19th package of sanctions against Russia.

It was reported that the adoption of the package had reached an impasse because Austria demanded that the EU lift sanctions on some Russian assets to compensate Raiffeisen Bank International for fines imposed by Russia.

However, other EU governments have not agreed with this. The sanctions package requires the unanimous support of all 27 EU member states.

"Austria supports continued pressure on Russia and will approve the 19th package of sanctions on Monday," Reuters reported, citing a statement from the Austrian Foreign Ministry.

Slovakia has also expressed reservations on this issue, but four EU diplomats said the European Commission is expected to release a letter on Monday that should address Slovakia's concerns.

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