EU to amend 18th sanctions package against Russia, targeting Belarus

European Pravda reported the information, citing diplomats from several European countries.

The updated draft will reportedly be ready by the end of this week. The European Commission has presented some targeted amendments, which are "mainly related to software in the field of financial services," as well as some measures concerning Belarus.

"Other amendments will also be developed. They will be presented to Coreper later this week," a source told the outlet.

According to another diplomat, EU countries have also proposed adding to the sanctions package measures to strengthen controls against potential circumvention of restrictions by Russia, sanctions on the activities of Russian companies in the cryptocurrency market, and restrictions on the movement of Russian diplomats within the European Union.

The source emphasized that Coreper would return to discussing the 18th package later that week. It appeared that the member states were not far from reaching a compromise. However, there was still a significant amount of work to be done, particularly at the technical level, making it unlikely that the sanctions would be approved that week.

• The European Union is developing its 18th package of sanctions against Russia: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that the restrictions will target Russia’s energy and banking sectors.