10 countries called on the EU to abandon Russian gas imports
Sweden, Ireland, Poland and the Baltic states seek to ban imports of pipeline and liquefied gas into the EU to limit the finances Moscow uses against Ukraine
10 European countries have called on the European Union to stop using Russian gas, including pipeline fuel and liquefied natural gas (LNG). Bloomberg reports.
10 European states "are pushing for tougher sanctions against Russia by imposing restrictions on (the use of) natural gas and tightening price caps on oil. Allied countries, including Sweden, Ireland, Poland and the three Baltic states, would like to ban imports of pipeline and liquefied natural gas into the European Union to limit the revenues the Kremlin uses to finance the war in Ukraine," the agency said.
EU sanctions against Russia do not currently apply to gas imports, as some countries still rely on the fuel. However, imposing sanctions or banning Russian gas imports would require a unanimous decision by all 27 EU member states.
"Therefore, it is necessary to ban imports of Russian gas and LNG as soon as possible... An alternative to a complete ban could be a gradual reduction in the use of Russian gas and LNG, as already defined in the RePowerEU roadmap," Bloomberg News quotes the document, which was also joined by Denmark, Finland, the Czech Republic and Romania.
The countries that signed the joint letter spoke in favor of extending the upcoming EU sanctions package to the Russian fleet of tankers used to transport liquefied gas and banning them from entering ports on EU territory.
Bloomberg writes that in a letter to European institutions, member states cite data showing that since the beginning of the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, EU countries have purchased oil, gas, and coal from Russia worth more than 200 billion euros.
As reported by "Ukrainian Energy", the McFaul-Yermak group proposes to lower the price ceiling for Russian oil to $30. Currently, the price ceiling is $60. The initiator of the proposal, the head of the President's Office, Andriy Yermak, believes that "The export of energy resources is the Kremlin's main source of financing the war. The higher the oil prices, the more weapons and aggressive intentions in the Russian Federation. The cheaper the oil, the closer the peace."
