The European Union has begun forming another, 17th package of anti-Russian sanctions, the EUObserver portal reported, citing European diplomats.
According to the portal's source, work on the new restrictions "has begun, but is at a very early stage". “The EU Foreign Policy Service and the European Commission are working on this and the proposals will probably be announced in early summer“, said another EU diplomat.
At the same time, their colleague expressed reservations about the specified deadline due to the intensified efforts in the international arena to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.
"At the moment, this is too speculative. We need to see how the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine will develop," he said he.
The portal notes that the EU may face difficulties in agreeing on a new package of sanctions against the backdrop of a possible veto from Hungary. Budapest may also hinder the process of extending the current EU economic sanctions against Russia, which were extended by six months at the end of January.