EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said on Tuesday she hoped for agreement soon on a new round of sanctions by the bloc on Russia, including lowering a price cap on Moscow's oil exports.
The fresh round of punishment over the war on Ukraine has been held up for weeks by a wrangle with Slovakia over separate plans to phase out Russian gas imports and resistance from Malta over the price cap.
"We are hoping that it's either today or tomorrow that we adopt the 18th package of sanctions," Kallas said ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.
"So I hope it's today, but it's still some work to do."
Slovakia's Russia-friendly leader Robert Fico has signalled he could drop his opposition after talks with Brussels over its plans to cut off Russian gas imports by the end of 2027.
Officials said the bloc is also close to agreeing a plan to lower its price cap on Russian oil exported to third countries around the world.
"It's alive," Kallas told journalists.
That comes despite EU allies failing to convince US President Donald Trump to go along with the plan.
The cap is a G7 initiative aimed at limiting the amount of money Russia makes by exporting oil to countries across the world.
The oil price cap, set at $60 by the G7 in 2022, is designed to limit the price Moscow can sell oil around the world by banning shipping firms and insurance companies dealing with Russia to export above that amount.
Under the new EU scheme - which would likely also have the backing of G7 allies like Britain and Canada - the bloc would set a new flexible rate below market value.
That would currently equate to $47.6, according to internal EU discussions shared with AFP.
Diplomats admit that the fact the United States is not on board with the move, will make it less effective.
"Even if the Americans are not aboard, but the other G7 countries are on board, then we will move on with this," Kallas said.
As part of its sanctions, the EU is also planning to target scores more vessels in the "shadow fleet" of ageing tankers used by Russia to circumvent oil export curbs.
The new measures from the EU come as Trump has taken a tougher line with Russia, threatening to impose major "secondary tariffs" if Moscow doesn't agree to a halt fighting in 50 days.
