Nakanune the foreign ministers of the EU countries could not agree on the sixth package of sanctions due to disagreements about the oil embargo. According to the source of the publication, it is difficult to imagine what restrictions could be included in the seventh package
The European Union is approaching the limit of sanctions against Russia, the adoption of the seventh package was extremely difficult, a diplomatic source in Brussels told Euractiv.
“We are very close to reaching the limit. What could be in the seventh package?»— the interlocutor of the publication wondered. According to him, there is now a “mess with Russian oil”, the import of which the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, proposed to ban as part of the sixth package. “Imagine what will happen when they propose to ban gas?..»— continued the source.
According to him, the foreign ministers at the meeting the day before took a “step back” when discussing new sanctions. On May 16, the foreign ministers of the EU countries failed to agree on the sixth package of sanctions. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrel said he did not know how long it would take to agree on new restrictions, including an embargo on Russian oil. Hungary has repeatedly spoken out against such a measure: its authorities refuse to approve the package if it contains a ban on oil imports from Russia. According to Reuters, Bulgaria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic also expressed concerns about the embargo.
A Euractiv source noted that no one, including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, “wants to bring the matter to the EU summit.” The diplomat suggested that progress can be expected after May 18, when the REPowerEU strategy to reduce dependence on Russian fossil fuels will be announced. As part of this strategy, Hungary, as Politico wrote, will be able to receive financial compensation for the refusal of oil from Russia.
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The European Union introduced the first package of anti-Russian sanctions on February 23, after Moscow recognized the independence of the DPR and LPR. It includes personal restrictions on 351 deputies of the State Duma and another 27 individuals and legal entities. Brussels approved the next four packages after the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine. The measures affected imports and exports, business, industry, the Central Bank and banks, Russian politicians, journalists and the military.
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The Russian authorities call the sanctions illegitimate. President Vladimir Putin warned the European Union in May about the “intractable consequences” of continuing sanctions pressure on Russia. He called the reason for the restrictions “short-sighted, inflated political ambitions” and “Russophobia”. According to Putin, Western countries “strike at their own national interests, their own economies, the well-being of their citizens”, and Russia “confidently copes with external challenges”.
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