NEW YORK, September 09 /ITAR-TASS/. Implementation of a new package of anti-Russian sanctions, which the EU endorsed on Monday, has been put off for several days owing to the position taken by Finland and some other European countries, says an article published by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on its website.

“The new sanctions were adopted by the EU members including Finland on Monday, but the actual timing for their implementation was left to be decided later, Finland's Prime Minister Alexander Stubb told Finnish media at a press briefing in Helsinki […],” the newspaper said.

"Finland in general isn't of the opinion that now is the right time [for the sanctions]," Mr. Stubb said, adding that EU diplomats were negotiating in Brussels on Monday night over when the sanctions would actually be put into force.

WSJ recalls that, to come into effect, the sanctions are to be published by the EU’s official journal, “but there are still discussions at which stage (the sanctions) will be published in the official journal,” Stubb said.

He believes that the schedule for implementing the new sanctions has been "fast and challenging" because Russia and Ukraine have made progress in their negotiations.

Stubb also said he was concerned about the indirect impact of the sanctions and about potential counter-sanctions that Russia might be pondering.

“Finland shares a 1,300-kilometer land border with Russia and has profited from tourism and trade with its huge eastern neighbor,” the WSJ says. “In the past during the Ukraine crisis Finland has been among the EU members that have had reservations about ramping up economic pressure on Russia.