BRUSSELS, February 23. /TASS/. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas acknowledged that EU foreign ministers will not be able to agree on a 20th package of sanctions against Russia at their meeting in Brussels.

According to her, the European Commission is doing everything possible to push through the sanctions, working with the countries that are blocking them, but is hearing very firm statements from those countries. She added that she does not see a possibility that they will change their position today.

The European Commission has repeatedly stated that it seeks to approve the 20th sanctions package by February 24 as a "strong signal" to Ukraine. The main restrictive measure in the package is expected to be the replacement of the ineffective oil price cap with a full ban on European companies — and, should Group of Seven countries join, on all Western businesses — transporting Russian oil and providing any related services. These measures would effectively lay the groundwork for the detention of tankers allegedly carrying Russian oil in multiple jurisdictions around the world.

As a diplomatic source told TASS, the United States has declined to join the package, while the remaining G7 countries have yet to provide a clear response.