Patriarch Kirill has been excluded from the EU's 21st round of sanctions against Russia

The European Union plans to consider and, most likely, approve the 21st package of sanctions against the Russian Federation on July 13. The final document may be adopted in a significantly “watered-down” and compromise form to resolve disagreements among EU member states. In particular, there are no plans to include the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, on the sanctions list. This was reported by “European Truth.”

According to the information received, European diplomats were forced to make a number of concessions to reach a consensus. Specifically, Patriarch Kirill and Vagit Alekperov, founder of Lukoil, will most likely be excluded from the updated sanctions list—these were the demands of Bulgaria and Italy. In addition, entry restrictions for former Russian combatants are expected to be eased, and a number of strict measures concerning the import of Russian fish and restrictions on the transport of liquefied natural gas are expected to be dropped.

Negotiations held at the Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper) on July 12 gave reason to believe that a political decision will be adopted by EU foreign ministers in the very near future. The importance of reaching a prompt agreement stems from the need to extend the “price cap” on Russian oil, which is set to expire on July 15. Among alternative scenarios, experts do not rule out the possibility that on July 13, only a technical decision on oil restrictions will be adopted, while consideration of the main sanctions package will be postponed until the fall.

As a reminder, it was previously reported that the Vatican and the Bulgarian government expressed their disagreement with the European Union’s plans to include the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, in the 21st package of sanctions. Diplomatic sources indicate that the EU’s initiative has encountered serious resistance from Rome and Sofia.