On Thursday 26 June, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that European leaders had agreed to renew economic sanctions against Russia. The six-month renewal of these sanctions, which run until 31 July, will require formal agreement.
Conversely, the leaders did not formally agree on the adoption of the 18th sanctions package, although an agreement should be reached “in the very next few days”, according to French President Emmanuel Macron.
In the 26-point declaration they adopted, the leaders called on the EU Council to adopt a new set of sanctions quickly.
Prior to the European Council, the Slovak Prime Minister, Robert Fico, had called for the vote on the 18th package, scheduled for the Committee of Member States’ Representatives to the EU (Coreper) on 27 June, to be postponed, threatening to veto it, citing the European Commission’s legislative proposal to ban Russian gas contracts by the end of 2027 (see EUROPE 13661/5).
“The reason for this is that the legislative act suspending gas flows starting 1 January 2028 is, in our view, a penalty with far-reaching consequences. Therefore, this issue must be resolved first - let’s define the solution and only then can we discuss other sanctions packages”, he explained.
Opening of negotiation chapters still blocked
In their conclusions, the 26 EU Member States also reiterated their “unwavering” support for Ukraine on its path to EU membership, welcoming the “significant progress” made by Kyiv in its reforms. They call on the EU Council to “take the next steps” in the accession process in accordance with the merit-based approach. “The European Commission defends the opening of the first cluster of accession negotiation chapters”, explained President Ursula von der Leyen.
But this is not enough to convince the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, on the strength of the 95% no vote in his country on Ukraine’s accession to the EU. “I arrived with a strong mandate (...) During the negotiations (between leaders), I will say, with the voice of more than two million Hungarians, that Hungary does not support Ukraine’s accession to the EU. These are the facts”, he explained upon his arrival.
To see the conclusions on Ukraine: https://aeur.eu/f/hln (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant and Pauline Denys, with the editorial staff)