BRUSSELS — EU countries reached a deal Thursday on a sweeping 21st sanctions package against Russia.
The final sticking point — a proposed ban on shipping Russian gas to third countries — was resolved through a lengthy extension, two EU diplomats said, who were granted anonymity to speak freely on the details of the agreement.
The bloc also agreed to freeze its price cap on Russian crude oil for 12 months, the diplomats added. The cap currently stands at $44.10 a barrel and was set to rise because of the war in Iran and an automatic recalculation happening every six months.
Greece had initially resisted the proposed ban on European companies shipping Russian gas to customers outside the bloc, arguing that it went beyond what EU leaders had previously agreed and would be ineffective because vessels could simply re-register abroad.
This story is being updated.