Six EU member states have demanded exemptions from the 21st sanctions package against Russia or a complete blockade of the measures, RIA Novosti reported citing the Financial Times. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Sputnik Kazakhstan.
"Citing that it could undermine the four-year strategy of supporting Ukraine, several countries, including Greece, France, Italy, Germany, Austria and Portugal, have demanded exemptions from the latest sanctions list or completely blocked the proposed measures," the publication reported.
Specifically, Paris and Rome demanded a relaxation of the visa ban for Russian military personnel, while Lisbon and Berlin demanded the removal of a ban on fish purchases. Vienna demanded the unblocking of two billion euros in Moscow's assets, and Athens demanded no restrictions on the supply of liquefied natural gas to third countries.
According to the FT, the European Commission is considering removing individual provisions from the 21st package of measures. Russia has repeatedly stated that it can withstand the sanctions pressure.