EU fails to pass 21st Russia sanctions package
The planned 21st EU sanctions package against Russia was not adopted. According to reports, France and Italy blocked an entry ban for Russian fighters in Ukraine.
According to both sources, the fact is: the EU did not adopt the 21st sanctions package against Russia. The conservative French Le Figaro provides the detailed account: France and Italy allegedly torpedoed an EU-wide entry ban for Russian fighters demanded by around ten countries, and the measure was postponed. The liberal Taiwanese Taipei Times reports the failure itself soberly and without assigning blame. The perspectives complement each other, with Le Figaro exposing the intra-European blockade constellation, while the Taipei Times, from an Asian distance, registers the episode as a sign of European disunity. A Russian view is not present in the raw reports; the main point of contention is whether the postponement marks pragmatism or weakness in the EU's Russia policy.