EU fails to approve new Russia sanctions; ball now in Slovakia's court, says EU foreign chief
The European Union did not approve the 18th Russia sanctions package on Tuesday, the EU's foreign chief Kaja Kallas said after a meeting with EU foreign ministers in Brussels.
She said she was "really sad" the sanctions did not get approved, but hopeful a deal will be reached on Wednesday, adding that the ball is in Slovakia's court. Slovakia has been blocking the EU's latest sanctions package until its concerns are addressed over a separate EU proposal to phase out imports of Russian gas by January 1, 2028.
Sources told Reuters on Monday that all elements of the package had been agreed, although one member state still had a reservation about a proposed lower price cap on Russian oil.
The European Commission last month proposed the 18th package of sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, aimed at Moscow's energy revenue, its banks, and its military industry.
The new package proposes banning transactions with Russia's Nord Stream gas pipelines, as well as banks that engage in sanctions circumvention.
It also proposes a floating price cap on Russian oil of 15% below the average market price of crude in the previous three months, EU diplomats have said.
© Thomson Reuters 2025.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Nikkei Asia
12 minutes ago
- Nikkei Asia
France will recognize Palestinian state in September, Macron says
PARIS/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- France intends to recognize a Palestinian state in September at the United Nations General Assembly, President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday in hopes of bringing peace to the region, drawing angry rebukes from Israel and the United States. Macron, who unveiled the decision on X, published a letter sent to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas confirming France's intention to press ahead with Palestinian recognition and work to convince other partners to follow suit. "True to its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognize the state of Palestine," Macron said. "I will make this solemn announcement at the United Nations General Assembly next September." Home to Europe's largest Jewish and Muslim communities, France will become the first major Western country to recognize a Palestinian state, potentially fueling a movement so far dominated by smaller nations generally more critical of Israel. The news sparked anger in Israel and Washington. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the decision by one of Israel's closest allies and a G7 member, saying such a move "rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy." In a post on X, he added, "A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel -- not to live in peace beside it. "Let's be clear: the Palestinians do not seek a state alongside Israel; they seek a state instead of Israel." Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz described the move as "a disgrace and a surrender to terrorism," adding that Israel would not allow the establishment of a "Palestinian entity that would harm our security, endanger our existence." In response, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States "strongly rejects (Macron's) plan to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN general assembly." In a post on X, he said, "This reckless decision only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace. It is a slap in the face to the victims of October 7th." Earlier, Canada also pressed Israel to seek peace, with Prime Minister Mark Carney condemning its "failure to prevent the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian disaster in Gaza" and reiterating support for a two-state solution. Carney also accused Israel of violating international law over the blocking of Canadian-funded aid to civilians in the war-torn Palestinian enclave. "Canada calls on all sides to negotiate an immediate ceasefire in good faith," he added. "We reiterate our calls for Hamas to immediately release all the hostages, and for the Israeli government to respect the territorial integrity of the West Bank and Gaza." In a diplomatic cable in June, the United States said it opposed steps to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state, even saying it could go against U.S. foreign policy interests and draw consequences. Also in June, Washington's ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said he did not think an independent Palestinian state remained a U.S. foreign policy goal. President Donald Trump has himself expressed doubts about a two-state solution, proposing a U.S. takeover of Gaza in February that was condemned by rights groups, Arab states, Palestinians and the U.N. as a proposal of "ethnic cleansing." Macron had been leaning toward recognizing a Palestinian state for months as part of a bid to keep the idea of a two-state solution alive, despite the pressure not to do so. French officials initially weighed up the move ahead of a United Nations conference, which France and Saudi Arabia had planned to co-host in June to lay out parameters for a roadmap to a Palestinian state, while ensuring Israel's security. The conference was postponed under U.S. pressure and after the 12-day Israel-Iran air war began, during which the closure of regional airspace made it hard for representatives of some Arab states to attend. It was rescheduled and downgraded to a ministerial event set for July 28 and July 29, with a second event taking place with heads of state and government on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in September. The decision to make the announcement ahead of next week's conference aimed to give the French team at the United Nations a framework to work with other countries that are also considering recognizing a Palestinian state or have misgivings in doing so. Diplomats say Macron has faced resistance from allies such as Britain and Canada over his push for the recognition of a Palestinian state. About 40 foreign ministers will be in New York next week. Israeli officials have spent months lobbying to prevent what some have called "a nuclear bomb" for bilateral ties. Sources familiar with the matter say Israel's warnings to France have ranged from scaling back intelligence sharing to complicating Paris' regional initiatives -- even hinting at possible annexation of parts of the West Bank. Israel has been waging a devastating war in Gaza since the Palestinian militant group Hamas' deadly attack on Israel in October 2023. It says recognizing a Palestinian state now would be equivalent to rewarding Hamas. Thanking France, Palestinian Authority Vice President Hussein Al Sheikh said on X that Macron's decision reflected "France's commitment to international law and its support for the Palestinian people's rights to self-determination and the establishment of our independent state."
Japan Today
12 minutes ago
- Japan Today
Thailand, Cambodia exchange heavy artillery fire as fighting rages for second day
A Cambodian military personnel stands on a BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launcher in Oddar Meanchey province, around 40 km (24 miles) from the disputed Ta Moan Thom temple, Cambodia, July 25, 2025. REUTERS/Soveit Yarn By Shoon Naing and Artorn Pookasook Thailand and Cambodia exchanged heavy artillery fire on Friday as their worst fighting in more than a decade stretched for a second day, despite calls from the region and beyond for an immediate ceasefire in an escalating border conflict that has killed at least 16 people. Thailand's military reported clashes from before dawn in the Ubon Ratchathani and Surin provinces and said Cambodia had used artillery and Russian-made BM-21 rocket systems. Authorities said 100,000 people had been evacuated from conflict areas on the Thai side. "Cambodian forces have conducted sustained bombardment utilising heavy weapons, field artillery and BM-21 rocket systems," the Thai military said in a statement. "Thai forces have responded with appropriate supporting fire in accordance with the tactical situation." Both sides blamed each other for starting the conflict on Thursday at a disputed border area, which quickly escalated from small arms fire to heavy shelling in at least six locations 209 km (130 miles) apart along a frontier where sovereignty has been disputed for more than a century. Reuters journalists in Surin province reported hearing intermittent bursts of explosions on Friday, amid a heavy presence of armed Thai soldiers along roads and gas stations in the largely agrarian area. A Thai military convoy, including around a dozen trucks, armoured vehicles and tanks, cut across provincial roads ringed by paddy fields and moved toward the border. The fighting erupted on Thursday just hours after Thailand recalled its ambassador to Phnom Penh the previous night and expelled Cambodia's envoy, in response to a second Thai soldier losing a limb to a landmine that Bangkok alleged had been laid recently by rival troops. Cambodia has dismissed that as baseless. DEATH TOLL RISES The Thai death toll rose to 15 as of early Friday, 14 of them civilians, according to the health ministry. It said 46 people were wounded, including 15 soldiers. Cambodia's national government has not provided details of any casualties or evacuations of civilians. A government spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the latest clashes. Meth Meas Pheakdey, spokesperson for the provincial administration of Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province, said one civilian had been killed and five were wounded, with 1,500 families evacuated. Thailand had positioned six F-16 fighter jets on Thursday in a rare combat deployment, one of which was mobilised to strike a Cambodian military target, among measures Cambodia called "reckless and brutal military aggression". Thailand's use of an F-16 underlines its military advantage over Cambodia, which has no fighter aircraft and significantly less defence hardware and personnel, according to the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies The United States, a long-time treaty ally of Thailand, called for an "immediate cessation of hostilities, protection of civilians and a peaceful resolution." Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which Thailand and Cambodia are members, said he had spoken to leaders of both countries and urged them to find a peaceful way out. "I welcome the positive signals and willingness shown by both Bangkok and Phnom Penh to consider this path forward. Malaysia stands ready to assist and facilitate this process in the spirit of ASEAN unity and shared responsibility," he said in a social media post late on Thursday. © (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2025.
Nikkei Asia
42 minutes ago
- Nikkei Asia
Through the Lens: Japan's upper house election; summer festivals in Kyoto and Fukuoka
In the election for the upper house of Japan's parliament, the ruling coalition failed to win the 50 seats it needed to maintain its majority, leaving Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in a precarious position without a majority in either chamber of the Diet. The poor showing may force Ishiba from office. Sohei Kamiya, the leader of Japan's Sanseito party, speaks to supporters at an event on the last day of campaigning for the upper house election, at Shiba Park in Tokyo, on July 19. (Photo by Issei Kato/Reuters) Sanseito supporters raise their fists during an event on the last day of campaigning for Japan's July 20 upper house election, at Shiba Park in Tokyo, on July 19. (Photo by Issei Kato/Reuters) Voters walk past a candidate bulletin board at a polling station in Tokyo on July 20. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi) A voter casts his ballot in Japan's upper house election at a polling station in Tokyo on July 20. (Photo by Koji Uema) People vote in Japan's upper house election at a polling station in Tokyo on July 20. (Photo by Koji Uema) Election officials open ballot boxes at a counting center in Tokyo on July 20. (Photo by Manami Yamada/Reuters) Election officials count votes in Tokyo on July 20. (Photo by Manami Yamada/Reuters) An election official carries a ballot box during Japan's upper house election, at a counting center in Tokyo on July 20. (Photo by Manami Yamada/Reuters) Members of the media gather at Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Tokyo on July 20. (Photo by Mayumi Tsumita) Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya, right, and upper house candidate Saya place a victory flower next to her name in Tokyo, after she won her upper house race on July 20. (Photo by Rie Ishii) Leader of the Democratic Party For the People (DPFP) Yuichiro Tamaki, left, and the party's secretary-general, Shimba Kazuya, stand in front of a board with the names of DPFP candidates in Tokyo on July 20. (Photo by Yuki Kohara) Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, listens to a question from a journalist at LDP headquarters in Tokyo on July 20. (Photo Mayumi Tsumita) Shigeru Ishiba, Japan's prime minister, takes part in an interview at LDP headquarters in Tokyo on July 20. (Photo by Mayumi Tsumita) Rosettes to indicate election victories go unused at LDP headquarters in Tokyo on July 21. (Photo by Mayumi Tsumita) Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba attends a news conference at Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Tokyo on July 21, the day after the ruling coalition lost its majority in Japan's upper house. (Photo by Sae Kamae) Two of Japan's most colorful summer festivals were held recently, the Gion Festival in Kyoto and the Hakata Gion Yamakasa Festival in Fukuoka. On July 17, the Yamahoko procession, the highlight of the Gion Festival in Kyoto, was held. About 20 ornately decorated "Yamahoko," or "moving museums," made their way through the center of the city. In Fukuoka, the Hakata Gion Yamakasa festival was also a lavish affair, with the event culminating in the "Oishi Yamakasa" race in which men carry seven floats weighing about 1 metric ton each, representing each neighborhood in Fukuoka's Hakata district, along a 5-kilometer course. Children visit Yasaka Shrine to pray for a safe Gion Festival, in Kyoto on July 1. (Photo by Kyodo) People fill the streets as floats with illuminated lanterns are displayed during the annual Gion Festival's Yoiyama event in Kyoto on July 16. (Photo by Kyodo) A "Yamahoko" float is pulled around a corner during the Gion Festival in Kyoto on July 17. The parade is designated an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. (Photo by Arisa Moriyama) People carry a float at Kushida Shrine in Fukuoka during the annual Hakata Gion Yamakasa Festival on July 15, marking the finale of the 15-day event that dates back more than 780 years. (Photo by Kyodo) People carry - while others ride on - a float at Kushida Shrine in Fukuoka during the annual Hakata Gion Yamakasa Festival on July 15. (Photo by Kyodo) (Photo by Kyodo)
