The European Union once again failed to agree on the 21st package of sanctions against Russia, but decided to keep the current price cap on Russian oil in place until July 23 in order to continue negotiations on the next package of restrictions. This decision was made by the permanent representatives of the EU countries at a meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives on July 15.

According to an EU diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity, the member states agreed to keep the current price cap in place for another week to buy time for discussing the remaining disagreements over the new sanctions package, including the economic and technical consequences of a number of proposed measures. The diplomat did not specify which measures were in question, DW reports.

On July 13, the foreign ministers of EU countries meeting in Brussels also failed to agree on the 21st package of sanctions against Russia. As EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas stated, the main obstacle remains not technical details but the willingness of member states to make decisions that entail short-term economic and political costs for themselves.