New Delhi, July 22 -- BRUSSELS - Greece has blocked a European Union proposal to ban vessels transporting Russian liquefied natural gas, stalling the bloc's 21st package of sanctions against Moscow and crystallizing the fault line that has defined EU energy policy since the start of the Russian operation in Ukraine. The countries most commercially exposed to Russian energy will resist measures that damage their own economic interests, regardless of what the broader coalition decides.

The veto centers on Dynagas, the shipping company controlled by Greek magnate George Prokopiou, which operates 11 LNG vessels including seven Arctic-class icebreakers purpose-built for the conditions of the Northern Sea Route, according to Euronews. Those se...