EUobserver has learned that Hungary has stopped defending Russian gas imports.

Hungary has not criticized the proposal to ban imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) as part of the upcoming 19th round of sanctions against Russia, EUobserver reports, citing European diplomats.

The day before, EUobserver reported that Slovakia and Hungary could delay the adoption of the 19th sanctions package. Hungary was seeking an exception to the EU's proposed ban on Russian LNG imports, while Slovakia hoped to find a "workaround" for its auto industry.

The publication has now clarified that Austria and Slovakia continue to express opposition to this package. Vienna, for example, proposed unfreezing shares worth approximately €2 billion in the Austrian construction company Strabag to support Raiffeisen Bank International. A Russian court ordered Raiffeisenbank to pay €2 billion due to the collapse of the Strabag stake sale, and Austria is proposing to unfreeze its shares for a similar amount.

Amid the disagreement, Spain said the EU needed "better coordination" between its plans to phase out fossil fuels and sanctions against Russia.

The sanctions will be discussed either at a meeting of EU foreign ministers on October 20 or at an EU summit on October 23, the report says.

On September 19, the European Commission presented the 19th sanctions package against Russia. It includes sanctions against third countries for aiding the Russian military-industrial complex, a ban on Russian liquefied natural gas by 2027, and stricter export controls for industries in Russia, India, and China . The European Commission also proposes sanctions against 13 Russian individuals and 18 Russian legal entities.

Moscow considers Western sanctions illegal. The Kremlin has noted that the restrictions are incapable of changing Moscow's policies and that the Russian economy has developed a certain immunity to them .

ReadPIONERPRODUKT .by inTELEGRAM .