Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys has called on the European Union to begin work now on the 18th package of sanctions against Russia which should hit its most vulnerable points.

Source:Budrys after the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Budrys said that deception, disruption, distraction and delay are the strategy of Russian leader Vladimir Putin to avoid sanctions and accountability.

According to him, Europe must finally break this vicious circle and an effective tool for this is the introduction of new sanctions.

Budrys noted that the 17th package of sanctions, adopted on 20 May, is already outdated.

"Eighteenth sanctions package must strike the aggressor where it really hurts – energy, LNG, oil, nuclear fuel and financial institutions must be our targets," he said, stressing that work on the new package must begin immediately.

"We have to proceed, because otherwise we're not meeting our words. And who will believe us when we will send this message again?" Budrys pointed out.

Background:

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen held a phone conversation following the adoption of the 17th package of sanctions against Russia to discuss the next round of restrictions to strike Moscow.
• The 18th package of European Union sanctions against Russia, which the EU has already started working on, may include restrictions on banks from non-EU countries that support the Russian defence industry and army, in addition to Russian banks.
• US President Donald Trump stated that he would not tighten sanctions against Russia because "there's a chance of progress", though he did not rule out the possibility of imposing sanctions in the future.

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