25 minutes agoEU fails to reach Russian oil ban agreement
Periskopi(4 years ago)
(4 years ago)European Union leaders failed to reach agreement today on a new package of sanctions against Russia, while meetings on the issue are expected to continue and tomorrow within the framework of a summit in Brussels. The European bloc has failed to unify the post-month stance on the embargo....
The European Union failed to agree to halt Russian oil at the meeting under way today and tomorrow in Brussels, the leaders of the bloc's member states said, while adding that discussions on the issue are not yet over and that they hope for an agreement to be reached later.
Leaders are expected to agree in principle to a measure, but all the details and difficult decisions are left for later.
“Ende is not at that point”, European Commission President Ursula von der Leenen said.
Estonia's prime minister, Kaya Kallas, said it is more realistic to expect reaching an agreement next month.
I don't think we're gonna reach a deal today. We will try to reach agreement by the June summit, this is the most realistic scenario so far”, Kallas said.
The next summit is scheduled for June 23rd and 24th.
French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters that the much needed agreement on the sixth package of sanctions is approaching, but without providing further details.
Some leaders expressed disappointment that a consensus has not been reached.
“We are sinking into detail and forgetting the most important thing”, Latvian Prime Minister Crisanis Karins said.
The “are just money, Ukrainians are paying for their lives”, he said, while adding that “We can and should support them, even for our own interests, because only after Russia is defeated, we can feel secure in Europe”.
The draft agreement, a document that can be reviewed, envisions a sixth package of European Union sanctions for halting oil imports across the sea.
But Hungary, along with Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria, depend on Russian oil and say they cannot afford such a move. Hungary provides over 60 percent of its oil and 85 percent of its natural gas from Russia. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban continues to oppose the Russian oil embargo.
He said his country needs assurances that it can be supplied with oil across the sea, while Russian oil shipments through the Druzba pipeline would stop.
There is no compromise right now. We are willing to support the package, if there is a solution to Hungary's energy supply, which we do not have so far”, Oran said.
The leaders will not reach a final agreement on the issue now, but instead, they will ask the personnel and ministers to find a solution that would also ensure fair competition between those who continue to fuel Russian oil and those who have interrupted it.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Cruo said that “these are not easy decisions”, while adding that “there is no doubt that within the next few days and weeks decisions will be made”.
A expected summit result is a 9 billion-euro loan package for the Ukrainian government. However, the decision on how this money will be collected is expected to be made later. The EU has so far undertaken five rounds of sanctions against Russia in response to its attack on Ukraine.
The bloc has targeted sanctions on over 1,000 people, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, senior government officials, pro-Kremlin oligarchs, banks, coal sector and others.
