Greece and Malta have become the main obstacle to the European Union's proposal to replace price caps on Russian oil with a ban on maritime services needed to transport it.
This was reported by Bloomberg, citing officials familiar with the matter.
According to them, these two countries expressed concern about this move at a meeting of EU ambassadors on February 9, where the 20th package of European sanctions against Russia was presented.
Greece and Malta fear the change could affect the European shipping industry and energy prices. Both countries have also asked for clarification on proposals to impose sanctions on foreign ports for transshipment of Russian oil and to tighten oversight of ship sellers to reduce the number of ships entering the Russian fleet.
When asked by the agency's journalists, the Greek authorities refused to comment, while Maltese government spokesman Nestor Laviera said that Malta “is engaged in technical discussions to ensure the implementation of the final outcome.”
Earlier, Bloomberg, citing sources, reported that the EU, within the framework of the 20th package of sanctions against Russia, is considering replacing the ceiling price for Russian oil with a complete ban on the provision of maritime services for its transportation.
On February 6, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented the 20th package of anti-Russian sanctions. The new restrictions are intended to further reduce Russia's oil revenues and make it more difficult to circumvent sanctions through a shadow fleet and cryptocurrencies. They also propose a complete ban on maritime services for the transport of Russian crude oil, which is planned to be implemented together with G7 partners.