Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 13, 2025
3 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleEU envoys are nearing an agreement on a new Russian oil price cap, part of the 18th sanctions package against Russia, to curb its war financing.
By Julia Payne
BRUSSELS (Reuters) -European Union envoys are on the verge of agreeing an 18th package of sanctions against Russia for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine that would include a lower price cap on Russian oil, four EU sources said after a Sunday meeting.
The sources said all the elements of the package had been agreed, although one member state still has a technical reservation on the new cap.
The sources - speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential talks - said they expect to reach a full agreement on Monday, ahead of a foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels the following day that could formally approve the package.
The sources said they had also agreed to a dynamic price mechanism for the price cap. On Friday, the European Commission proposed a floating price cap on Russian oil of 15% below the average market price of crude in the previous three months.
One of the sources said the initial price would be around $47 a barrel based on the average price of Russian crude for the last 22 weeks minus 15%. Further, the price would be revised based on the average oil price every six months instead of the proposed three months.
Slovakia - which has held up the proposed package - is still seeking reassurances from the European Commission on its concerns about plans to phase out Russian gas supply but it has agreed to the new measures, the sources said.
Sanctions require unanimity among the EU's member countries to be adopted.
The Group of Seven (G7) price cap, aimed at curbing Russia's ability to finance the war in Ukraine, was originally agreed in December 2022. The European Union and Britain have been pushing the G7 to lower the cap for the last two months after a fall in oil futures made the current $60 a barrel level largely irrelevant.
The cap bans trade in Russian crude oil transported by tankers if the price paid was above $60 per barrel and prohibits shipping, insurance and re-insurance companies from handling cargoes of Russian crude around the globe, unless it is sold for less than the price cap.
The Commission proposed the package in early June, aimed at further cutting Moscow's energy revenues, including a ban on transactions with Russia's Nord Stream gas pipelines, and financial network that helps it circumvent sanctions.
Another one of the sources said the new package will list a Russian-owned refinery in India, two Chinese banks, and a flag registry. Russia has used flags of convenience for its shadow fleet of ships and oil tankers.
(Reporting by Julia Payne; Editing by Andrew Gray)
The new sanctions package aims to further cut Moscow's energy revenues in response to its invasion of Ukraine.
The proposed price cap is a dynamic mechanism that would initially set the price at around $47 a barrel, which is 15% below the average market price of Russian crude.
Slovakia has expressed concerns regarding the proposed sanctions and is seeking reassurances from the European Commission.
The G7 price cap bans trade in Russian crude oil transported by tankers if the price exceeds $60 per barrel and prohibits shipping, insurance, and re-insurance companies from handling those cargoes.
A full agreement on the sanctions package is expected to be reached on Monday, ahead of a foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels.
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