EU sanctions against Russia stalled by member-state vetoes and exemptions

The European Union’s 21st sanctions package targeting Russia has stalled as several member states demand exemptions or have exercised veto power. Bulgaria blocked measures against Patriarch Kirill and Lukoil founder Vagit Alekperov, prompting the removal of their names from the draft list. Greece refused to approve the package unless it could continue transporting Russian LNG to third‑country buyers, a request tied to the shipping firm Dynagas. Germany and Portugal sought to drop a proposed ban on Russian fish imports to protect domestic processing industries. France and Italy pushed to soften restrictions on issuing EU visas to Russian soldiers. Austria repeated demands to unfreeze Russian assets worth about €2 billion to compensate Raiffeisen Bank International. These divergent positions highlight growing fractures within EU solidarity and raise questions about the bloc’s ability to maintain a unified punitive strategy against Moscow, with implications for the wider support to Ukraine.