EC to adopt 20th sanctions package without ban on Russian oil transportation — source

BRUSSELS, April 22. /TASS/. The European Commission (EC) has left out the ban on Russian oil transportation from its 20th sanctions package, proposing that EU countries urgently adopt a reduced version of the document, a diplomatic source in Brussels told TASS. "The European Commission has submitted a proposal to the ambassadors of 27 EU countries to adopt the 20th sanctions package against Russia, excluding from it the complete ban on the transportation of Russian oil (by European carriers) and the provision of services related to these shipments, including insurance," the diplomat said. The scheduled meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the 27 EU countries, which is to address this issue and approve €90 billion for Ukraine, is taking place in Brussels on Wednesday. The European tanker shipping industry is currently suffering enormous losses due to the blockade of ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz. There are no reliable statistics on these losses yet. The ban on Russian oil shipments was the central point of the 20th sanctions package, which the European Commission announced in January 2026, promising to adopt it by February 24, 2026. This failed, as the sanctions package was blocked by Hungary and Slovakia, along with €90 billion in funding for Ukraine for 2026-2027. Budapest and Bratislava demanded that Kiev resume transit of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline, which Ukraine blocked on January 27. On April 21, Vladimir Zelensky announced that Kiev was ready to resume transit on April 22. Hungary and Slovakia have not yet confirmed the actual receipt of Russian oil.