An embargo on Russian oil will be put on the table, the head of European diplomacy said.
EU foreign ministers will discuss a sixth sanctions package against Moscow in Luxembourg on Monday, but the cessation of oil and gas purchases to stop financing Russia’s war effort is dividing the 27.”We have just imposed heavy sanctions on Russia and we are preparing for a sixth waveEuropean Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced Friday during her visit to Kiev with the head of diplomacy Josep Borrell.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continues to ask all his European interlocutors “the adoption of strong sanctionsHe calls for an end to oil and gas purchases and the supply of heavy weapons to resist the announced offensive in the Donbass region (East).
Josep Borrell announced his intention to start the discussion on an oil embargo on Monday, “but a formal proposal is not on the table“Acknowledged a senior European official on Friday. †Unanimity is required to take sanctions. However, we clearly see the dependencies on Russia in several Member Stateshe underlined.
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Germany, Italy, Austria and Hungary are very dependent on Russian gas. †We’re not going to present something that doesn’t go through. Proposals must be made in a timely mannerhe explained.
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500 million more to arm Ukraine
According to Velina Tchakarova, director of the Austrian Institute for Europe and Security Policy (AIES), the Kremlin has earned $27.3 billion buying oil, gas and coal in the EU since the war in Ukraine started in late February. The EU has imposed an embargo on the purchase of coal, but the amount is much lower than that of gas and oil.
On the other hand, the ministers will validate the release of another 500 million euros to finance and deliver new weapons to Kiev, according to several EU diplomats. †Sanctions are important, but do not solve the problem in Donbass. The Battle of the Donbass will be decisive for the outcome of the war‘ said Josep Borrell on Saturday.
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Russia is bombing Ukraine from sea from ships beyond the reach of Ukrainian weapons, and Kiev troops need “long-range weapons and more armored vehiclesa senior European official explained. Slovakia announced on Friday that it has equipped Kiev with a Russian S-300 anti-aircraft system. At their meeting, ministers will discuss EU support for investigations into possible war crimes in Ukraine with International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan.
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