Photo: Euronews.com
The so-called written procedure began Wednesday afternoon during a meeting of ambassadors in Brussels. Member states have 24 hours to register objections.
Cyprus, the country holding the rotating presidency of the EU Council, expects the procedure to be completed on Thursday afternoon, when a final decision could be announced.
Hungary or Slovakia could still prevent unanimous adoption if they wanted to, but diplomats believe that is unlikely.
EU diplomats, who are cited by Euronews, believe a deal will be struck once the Druzhba oil pipeline is restored.
On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said it could start operating. Today, Wednesday, oil pumping resumed.
As for the sanctions, they include a complete ban on maritime services for Russian oil tankers, but the measure was conditioned on reaching a G7-level agreement after Malta and Greece, two coastal countries, raised serious concerns.
A G7-level deal is unlikely to happen anytime soon, given the White House’s recent decision to extend sanctions on Russian oil, which has displeased the Europeans.
