There is growing momentum in the EU for new restrictions on Russian fossil fuels, as there are signs of atrocities against Ukrainian civilians. However, while the European Commission is working on oil sanctions, there is skepticism about the idea of a speedy repression among some Member States. The government of Viktor Orban in Hungary, which has cultivated strong ties with President Vladimir Putin’s regime, has said that measures aimed at profitable Russian oil and gas exports are a “red line”. This is an effective veto to a measure that requires unanimity among the 27 Member States. She is not the only one who is skeptical about the idea of an immediate exclusion. Politicians are skeptical about the worsening rise in energy prices, which rose 45% in March from a year earlier in the eurozone. German Chancellor Olaf Solz said last week that his country was working hard to wean itself off Russian oil this year. A German official said that in theory Berlin could implement a Russian oil embargo, but probably only by the end of this year or early 2023. German officials say the ban on Russian offshore oil would be relatively easy for the EU to enforce, but Germany will find it difficult to find a substitute for Russian oil arriving in the country via pipeline. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, has pledged to work on oil sanctions, while Josep Borrell, the EU’s top diplomat, said of a slow embargo: “Sooner or later. . . Jake Sullivan, the U.S. national security adviser, told ABC television on Sunday that President Joe Biden “was working with his European counterparts on a daily basis on what Europe can do to move away from Russia.” oil and gas “. Commission officials have prepared a rough outline of possible measures targeting Russian oil, as part of a basket of possible restrictions drawn up before the invasion of Ukraine. However, the lack of unanimous support for the measure means it is not on the official agenda of the issues to be discussed at Monday’s EU foreign ministers’ meeting. It will only be raised informally for a wide debate. A senior EU official acknowledged that this was due to resistance from unnamed member states, adding that the suspension of Russian oil was “a technically and politically complex issue” for some highly dependent countries. Among the questions about any oil embargo are exactly which Russian oil products are affected, how long any phasing-in period will last, and whether it is a full or partial ban. The question also remains about an accompanying release of European strategic oil stocks to offset part of the impact. Officials have raised ideas such as imposing tariffs on Russian oil, instead of a direct ban on coal. The EU relies on Russia for about 25 percent of its oil imports, with some member states much more dependent. The bloc has collectively paid Russia more than 35 billion euros since the invasion of Ukraine began for energy supplies, compared to 1.5 billion euros it had pledged to Ukraine for military equipment, Borrell said last week. Orban was accused by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of being too reluctant to oppose Moscow. Zelensky used a speech last month to tell Orban that he must “decide who you are with.” Asked about the EU oil ban, Zoltan Kovacs, a spokesman for the Hungarian government, said: “There has never been such a proposal, so there was nothing to block.” The push by Von der Leyen, Borrell and the Member States, including Poland and the Baltic states, to take action against Russian crude follows a package of sanctions last week aimed at exporting coal and other goods, as well as Russian banks, oligarchs and senior officials. “We are not done with sanctions yet, especially since Russia is not showing any signs of slowing down the war effort,” said one EU diplomat. “These horrific images are brutal. . . “Proposals for sanctions make it easier to reach a consensus.” Additional reports by Stefania Palma in Washington and Marton Dunai in Budapest
