Luxembourg (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced on Monday that the 19th sanctions package against Russia is expected to be approved later this week.
The European Union kicked off a high-level summit today in Luxembourg, engaging top officials from Central Asia, the Caucasus, and neighbouring countries, as it seeks to expand its influence in a region traditionally dominated by China and Russia.
“Unfortunately, this will not happen today, but we will also have a meeting of heads of state on Thursday,”
when the EU leaders are expected to adopt the sanctions, European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas told journalists ahead of the EU Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Luxembourg.
The official stated that Russia has no intention of ending the war in Ukraine, and emphasised that the upcoming meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Hungary is “not nice.”
How will the new sanctions affect Russia’s energy exports?
The 19th EU sanctions package aimed at Russia will close a loophole that previously allowed Russia to circumvent the EU ban on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) imports, according to the Polish energy minister said.
The 2024 12th sanctions package excluded certain LPG types, such as butane and isobutane, which are primarily used as feedstocks in petrochemical production. Other LPG varieties are mainly used as fuel for cars and heating.
Although Sweden emerged as Poland’s largest LNG supplier in the first half of 2025, imports of liquefied gas from Russia decreased but did not cease, according to data from the Polish Liquefied Gas Organisation (POGP) showed.
The remaining Russian imports consisted of inflows of butane and isobutane, fractions of LPG with over 95% purity, which are also used in aerosol production, according to POGP data.
“Adding butane to the sanctions will close the possibility of its import from Russia and Belarus as a component for creating a liquefied petroleum gas mixture, eliminating a loophole in the existing ban on LPG imports,”
Polish Energy Minister Milosz Motyka said in a statement.
When did the EU adopt the 18th sanction package?
On 19 July 2025, the EU released its 18th section of sanctions imposed on Russia. The sanctions package contains various new measures and updates in relation to the energy, financial, and defense sectors.
The main updates include new and expanded measures regarding transactions of Russian oil and petroleum products, a transaction ban related to specific natural gas pipelines, expanded export prohibitions, and a replacement of the existing ban on certain Russia-related banks from using the SWIFT settlement system with a transaction ban.
