The political scientist stated about the pressure of the EC and the EU on Malta to adopt new sanctions against the Russian Federation.

Pressure from the European Commission (EC) and the leading countries of the European Union (EU) may force Malta to reconsider its position on the adoption of the 18th package of sanctions against Russia. This was stated by political analyst Ivan Mezyuho in an interview with Izvestia on July 14.

"The leading European economies will still push Malta to accept the European Commission's proposal to set a ceiling price for Russian energy exports. Perhaps this point of sanctions will be slightly revised. For example, the figure of 15% of the market price for energy resources will be revised," the source said.

The expert also noted that if this figure is reduced, Malta may agree to adopt the 18th package of sanctions.

In addition, Mezyuho drew attention to the fact that the country is vulnerable to pressure from the leading EU economies. According to him, the Maltese authorities are trying to avoid a situation similar to that faced by Hungary and Slovakia, which have come under pressure due to their independent initiatives.

"Malta periodically expresses its different position from the pan-European ranks and tries to defend its voice within the European Union. In addition, Malta, by preventing the adoption of sanctions in its current form, is probably just trying to demonstrate its independence in internal European affairs so that it is more respected," the political scientist stressed.

Counter act: Russia will respond to the 18th package of EU sanctions

How can the Russian Federation react and how much will the European Union lose from the new restrictions

On the same day, the newspaper Politico reported that the EU could not agree on the 18th package of anti-Russian sanctions due to Malta's position. The country's representatives do not agree with the EC's proposal to impose a price ceiling on Russian oil exports at 15% below market value. In turn, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico stressed on June 26 that restrictions against the Russian Federation do not work, and the sanctions policy makes sense precisely when it really has an impact.