Updated
Updated · Bloomberg · Jul 22
EU Weighs 3 Options to Salvage 21st Russia Sanctions Package as Greece Blocks LNG Curbs
Updated
Updated · Bloomberg · Jul 22

EU Weighs 3 Options to Salvage 21st Russia Sanctions Package as Greece Blocks LNG Curbs

3 articles · Updated · Bloomberg · Jul 22

Summary

  • EU officials are set to discuss at least three scenarios to break a deadlock over the bloc’s 21st sanctions package against Russia, after the measures stalled last week.
  • Greece is holding out against a proposal that would bar European firms from transferring Russian LNG to third countries, a restriction Athens says would hurt its shipping industry.
  • The dispute centers on a wider 2027 transport ban that Greece has already opposed, with concerns focused on shipowners including Dynagas, which charters 11 vessels to Russia’s Yamal LNG project.
  • The impasse exposes how national commercial interests are still reshaping EU sanctions even after Hungary’s Viktor Orbán—long a frequent blocker—left office, forcing capitals to defend their own carve-outs more openly.

Insights

Could Athens' veto on LNG transport set a precedent that unravels the entire EU sanctions regime?
With Russia's LNG profits soaring, is Greece defending its economy or funding Moscow's war effort?