EU countries expect 'simple' 17th Russia sanctions package

FILE PHOTO: European Union flags flutter outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, January 18, 2018. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir/File Photo

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -European Union countries do not expect any major new restrictions in the next package of sanctions against Russia, which the Commission is due to share with member states on Tuesday afternoon, EU diplomats said.

The package proposal has come sooner than expected, they said, and member states were not informally consulted in advance on the contents, which has been the norm for previous Russian measures.