Скачать или смотреть Discussions over the sixth package of EU sanctions against Russia continued on Tuesday 10 May

While the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, hoped that the difficulties would be resolved by the time the Foreign Affairs Council takes place on 16 May, the French Secretary of State for European Affairs, Clément Beaune, said on LCI that an agreement was possible “within a week”.

”We must use our economic and financial abilities to make Russia pay the price for what it’s doing,” EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters.

EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell plans to convene a meeting of European Union foreign ministers next week to have unanimous agreement over EU’s sixth package of sanctions that includes total oil embargo on Russia. Borrell, the chair of the Foreign Affairs Council meetings, is expected to announce the sweeping measures to drastically limit the Russian energy imports, and phase out Europe’s oil reliance on Moscow.

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"We are working to ensure that an agreement is reached, and it will be reached. But if this does not happen in a short time, namely before the end of the week, after Europe Day, I will convene a meeting of foreign ministers," said Borrell at a conference on the future of Europe in Florence on May 5.

Although, he reiterated that it is unlikely that there will be an agreement from all the member states—hinting at Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic and other EU states that are 100% reliant on Russian gas. High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Borrell has labelled the new sanctions on Russian regime as “absolutely essential.” He also acknowledged that the implementation of the total embargo on Russian gas "is not a question of tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow," but it will be a slow and gradual phasing out. EU has been unable to reach a consensus on the oil embargo.

EU has paid whopping €35 billion for Russian energy; just €1 billion aid to Ukraine
On May 4, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced the sixth package of sanctions against Russia that included oil import ban on Russian supplies and halting the import of petroleum products from Moscow by 2023. European Commission officials also handed a draft plan to the member states outlining the new package of sanctions particularly targetting Moscow's oil industry and banks that include Sberbank, Russia’s top lender. The proposed oil embargo will come into effect in several stages, Ursula von der Leyen iterated at a press conference, admitting that "it will not be easy."

EU will “phase out Russian oil in an orderly fashion," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France.

”We must use our economic and financial abilities to make Russia pay the price for what it’s doing,” EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters in Europe.

According to Borrell, EU has paid a whopping €35 billion for Russian energy since the start of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine as compared to just €1 billion aid that it sent to Ukraine. "[Ukrainian President] Zelenskyy needs us to tell him less often that he is a hero and give him more weapons to fight.That's what Ukrainians expect from us and that's what we're doing; and we must do it faster. Putting pressure on Russia and arming Ukraine. Help them to combat the invading forces with all the capabilities at our disposal," Borrell told the European Parliament.

Emphasising the urgent need to halt the Russian oil imports, Borrell said, "We've given Ukraine nearly €1 billion. That might seem like a lot but €1 billion is what we're paying [Vladimir] Putin every day for the energy he provides us with. Since the start of the war, we've given him €35 billion, compared to the €1 billion we've given Ukraine to arm itself.” EU’s new package of Russian sanction has divided the member states, and many have demanded a “transition period” owing to the consequences from a total energy supply cut-off from Russia.

#eudebates the unique initiative aiming to promote debate, dialogue, knowledge, participation and communication among citizens. #eudebates #Russia #Ukraine #Energy #Putin #Embargo #sanctions #Putin #OIL #Rubles #Borrell