“Hard measures”. Europe agrees on 6th package of sanctions against Russia

“An important step”

Charles Michel said an agreement had been reached to “ban the export of Russian oil to the EU”. It covers 2/3 of Russia’s oil imports and “cuts off a major source of funding for the war machine”. The politician believes that the new restrictions will “put maximum pressure on Russia to end the war.”

“Tonight, the European Council agreed on the sixth package of sanctions. It will ban oil imports from Russia. The sanctions will immediately affect 75 percent of Russia’s oil imports. And by the end of the year, 90% of Russian oil imported into Europe will be banned,” the official wrote on Twitter.

According to him, the sixth package contains other “hard measures”. Thus, it was decided to exclude “the largest Russian bank Sberbank” from the SWIFT system and to ban the publication of “three Russian state broadcasters”. In addition, the new restrictions have affected those in the European Union considered “responsible for war crimes in Ukraine”.

In turn, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, welcomed the approval of the sixth package of sanctions. He stressed on Twitter that “this will reduce oil imports from Russia by 90% by the end of the year”.

“I am pleased that tonight the leaders have agreed in principle on the sixth package of sanctions. This is an important step forward. We have also decided to work on a mechanism to provide Ukraine with a new exceptional macro-financial aid package of up to nine billion euros,” he said.

Japan’s Cabinet Secretary General, Hirokazu Matsuno, said at a news conference in Tokyo that the country’s government supports the decision of EU countries to impose a partial embargo on Russian oil imports.

“Oil exports are an important foreign exchange earning tool for Russia, and I welcome the European Union’s agreement to work together on measures to further reduce our energy dependence on Russia,” he said.

However, Japan itself has not yet made a similar decision. In early May, Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Koichi Hagiuda announced that his country would not ban oil supplies from Russia due to its limited resources.

exception countries

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that the EU embargo on fuel imports from Russia will not apply to his country. “Agreed. Hungary survived oil embargo,” he wrote on his Facebook page (the owner of Meta is considered an extremist organisation).

On the other hand, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said at a press conference after the EU summit that the European Commission has not yet determined how long the exemptions will be valid for Hungary. But the politician said the European Commission would “monitor the situation so it doesn’t take too long”.

He added that after the sixth package of sanctions comes into effect, the Czech Republic may also buy Russian oil. And Hungary will have to increase its oil refining capacity, which so far was designed only for fuel from the Russian Federation.

how was it known The new restrictions only affect oil supplies from Russia by sea, Reuters said. This information was also confirmed by Charles Michel, who spoke about the “temporary exception” regarding “oil from the pipeline”.

“The provocative and irresponsible question”

Russia’s permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, said that Russia will find other oil importers to replace the European Union. He also criticized the deadlines agreed by the Europeans for the rejection of Russian fuel.

“Let me ask a provocative and irresponsible question in a private, informal way. If the European Union is so eager to cut off most Russian oil supplies by the end of the year, then why can’t Russia meet the Europeans’ wishes and (cut supplies. – socialbites.ca) be friendly much sooner? make a gesture? Ulyanov wrote on Twitter.

He also recalled a recent statement by Ursula von der Leyen suggesting that Russia would find other importers. According to Ulyanov, she “said the right thing, she.”