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More and more European capitals are ready to include the oil embargo in the next, already sixth, package of sanctions, which should be presented this week, Radio Liberty correspondent Zoryana Stepanenko notes for TSN.
The European Union is preparing to cut off more Russian banks from SWIFT. Difficulties with international transfers threaten, in particular, the clients of the largest bank in the aggressor country, Sberbank.
But they will leave Gazprombank on the white list, through which Europe pays for Russian energy resources. Putin’s new whim is to pay for them in rubles, and because of the refusal, Russia, contrary to all contracts, has already turned off the tap of Bulgaria and Poland. However, the blackmail did not work and Warsaw assures that it will live without Russian gas supplies. It will also fill storage facilities for the winter, local officials said today.
“We are very proud to be included in the list of countries unfriendly to Putin. We are completely safe. And we urge other countries not to support Putin’s whim to pay in rubles,” said Anna Moskva, Minister for Climate and Environment of Poland.
Those who would support the EU do not know, the EU leadership is not aware of companies that allegedly pay in rubles. This is how the European Commissioner for Energy commented today on information that was previously published by the Western media: as if four European companies accepted Putin’s demands. At this moment, they are discussing in Brussels how to respond to the Russian gas blackmail, for this purpose the energy ministers of the EU countries have urgently gathered here. And the answer, they say, will definitely not be one that will satisfy Russia.
“We will continue to pay in euros for contracts concluded in euros or dollars. Now we are working to no longer depend on Russian gas. And the sooner we do it, the sooner we can be calm in the face of the Russian threat,” adds French Minister for Environmental Transformations Barbara Pompili.
Europe has already agreed to phase out Russian coal and is more ready than ever for independence from Russian oil. 26 percent of this fuel comes from Russia. And in some places and more – depending on the country. So for a long time the embargo on it was the subject of fierce discussions. They are still going on, however, in order not to finance Putin’s military machine through oil and at the same time soften the blow to their economies, they came to a preliminary agreement here – on a gradual ban.
Radio Liberty sources in EU diplomatic circles testify that first tanker oil will fall under it, then pipes will be blocked, and the embargo will begin to operate completely from next year. The chances for him grew when Germany stopped blocking the decision. At the same time, they are not yet ready to give up Russian gas. “The steps we take must be sensible so as not to provoke an economic disaster due to our thoughtless actions. I have always represented the position of Germany and lobbied for an understanding of the position of Germany, for example, regarding gas, where we are not yet ready for an embargo,” said German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck.
The sanctions package, which is expected to include an oil embargo, is due to be presented on Wednesday. The “white crows” threatening to block it remain Hungary and Slovakia, reports Reuters. However, journalists add that the European Union, if it does not persuade them, will make an exception for these countries or extend the transition period.
A new wave of sanctions will also cover the real estate market – the Russians will not be able to acquire new estates in the EU. And personalized blacklists will become even longer. Sources testify that there may be a gymnast and a former deputy of Derjuma Alina Kabaeva, to whom the media has long been credited with an affair with Putin and three common children. And also Patriarch Kirill, who has long justified Russian aggression against Ukraine.
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