Austria has agreed to support the 19th package of EU sanctions against Russia, removing an obstacle to the vote on October 20 in Luxembourg. Vienna had previously blocked the decision, demanding the unfreezing of some Russian assets to compensate for losses incurred by Raiffeisen Bank International.
Austria has agreed to support the 19th package of European Union sanctions against Russia, changing its previous position and removing the main obstacle to the vote scheduled for Monday, October 20, in Luxembourg. This is reported by the Reuters agency with reference to a statement by the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as reported by UNN.
Details
On Monday, October 20, EU foreign ministers will meet in Luxembourg to finally agree on the 19th package of sanctions against Russia. But the adoption stalled due to Austria.
Earlier, Vienna blocked the decision, demanding to unfreeze part of Russian assets to compensate for the losses of Raiffeisen Bank International, but other EU countries did not support such a condition.
Unanimity of all 27 EU member states is required to approve the package. This is probably why Austria eventually announced its support for the sanctions.
Austria supports further pressure on Russia and will approve the 19th package of sanctions on Monday
– according to the statement of the Austrian department.
The new package provides, in particular, for a ban on the import of Russian liquefied gas from January 1, 2027, i.e., a year earlier than planned.
Final approval is expected at the meeting of EU foreign ministers on October 21.
Recall
In early October 2025, Austria suspended the adoption of the 19th package of EU sanctions against Russia, demanding to unfreeze Rasperia Trading's assets to compensate Raiffeisen Bank. It was reported that the bank seeks to recover 2.1 billion euros that it lost due to a Russian court decision.
EU prepares tougher sanctions against Russia – Von der Leyen02.10.25, 05:16 • 21523 views
