Luxembourg, 24 June 2024 (dpa/MIA) - EU foreign ministers are to adopt new Russia sanctions on Monday, diplomats told dpa, after Germany's concerns over business regulations led to several weeks of delay.

Designed to crack down on the evasion of sanctions and stop Russia from obtaining Western technology for making weapons, Berlin was concerned the 14th sanctions package went too far, especially for subsidiaries.

EU diplomats said a compromise was reached, allowing measures halting exports to Russia - the so-called "No Russia" clause - to not apply to subsidiaries for the time being. The issue is to be revisited.

The new salvo of EU punitive measures comes as a boost to Ukraine. Kiev is also set to sign a security commitment with the bloc later this week, an EU official said.

Ukraine has already agreed similar bilateral arrangements with EU countries like Germany and France.

EU foreign ministers are also expected address payments for EU countries that supplied Ukraine with arms from an off-budget fund called the European Peace Facility (EPF).

Each EU member state has veto on the payments and Hungary has been blocking the disbursements for nearly a year.

Also blocked by Hungary is a €5-billion ($5.3-billion) support fund for Ukraine from the EPF. EU diplomats are not expecting a breakthrough in Luxembourg.

Recent threats by the Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah movement to the EU island of Cyprus over cooperation with Israel as the situation on the border with Lebanon continues to deteriorate are also to be discussed.

Despite multiple EU warnings, the Georgian government passed a controversial law with strict rules for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in receipt of foreign funding.

EU diplomats said ministers are to consider responses like a freeze on high level meetings and channelling EU funding directly to NGOs without harming pro-EU sentiment among the Georgian people.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is to brief his EU counterparts on the war situation via video call.

Western Balkan foreign ministers are also invited to discuss foreign policy.

Photo: European Council