EU states raise questions on coal ban, new Russia sanctions - sources

European Union diplomats failed to approve on Wednesday new sanctions against Russia proposed by the European Commission, as technical issues needed to be addressed, including on whether a ban on coal would affect existing contracts, sources said.

European Union diplomats failed to approve on Wednesday new sanctions against Russia proposed by the European Commission, as technical issues needed to be addressed, including on whether a ban on coal would affect existing contracts, sources said. On Tuesday, the EU executive proposed to ban the import of all types of coal from Russia, as part of a wider package of measures that would further restrict trade with Moscow.

Sanctions need to be approved by EU governments, but concerns were raised in a meeting of EU envoys on Wednesday, three sources familiar with the talks told Reuters. It was unclear how the issue would be resolved, although diplomats were optimistic about the possibility of reaching a compromise in a new meeting of EU envoys on Thursday.