EU leaders are set to agree in principle to ban oil imports from Russia at a summit in Brussels
EU leaders are set to agree in principle to a ban on oil imports from Russia at a summit in Brussels on Monday and Tuesday, diplomats said, but after weeks of bargaining how they would work out later. Will leave the decision on this.
“We are moving towards an agreement on the sixth package of sanctions,” French President Emmanuel Macron, who arrived at a meeting of centrist leaders ahead of the summit, said.
According to a new draft of the summit’s conclusion, 27 nations will agree that Russian oil imports into EU countries will be banned, albeit with a temporary exemption for crude oil by pipeline.
The text seen by Reuters – which is yet to be revised again – would ratify a deal on maritime oil sanctions, with pipeline oil supplies to Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic to be approved at some later point .
However, leaders gathering in Brussels in the afternoon will not finalize the terms for that temporary exception, the text suggested.
Instead, they would ask diplomats and ministers to find a solution that would still ensure fair competition between Russian oil recipients and those cut off.
Some EU leaders poured cold water on Monday on any possibility for a comprehensive deal at the summit, with Estonia’s Prime Minister Kaja Kailas saying it was more realistic to expect a deal next month.
“I don’t think we will reach an agreement today. We will try to reach an agreement until the summit in June, that is the realistic approach so far,” Callas said.
The next summit is scheduled for June 23-24.
“These are not easy decisions,” Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Cru said, adding: “I have no doubt that in the next days, in the next weeks, decisions will be taken.”
sixth package
An agreement in principle on the oil embargo could help unlock a sixth package of EU sanctions, including cutting Russia’s biggest bank, Sberbank, from the SWIFT messaging system, banning Russian broadcasters from the EU and more people. Includes adding to a list. are frozen.
A tangible outcome of the summit would be agreement on a package of 9 billion euros ($9.7 billion) of EU loans, with a small component of grants to cover part of the interest, to help Ukraine keep its government running. And will have to pay wages for about two. month. A decision on how to raise the money will be taken later.
According to the draft summit’s findings, the leaders will also support the creation of an international fund for the reconstruction of post-war Ukraine, the details of which will be decided later, and the legal forms of confiscation of frozen Russian assets for that purpose. Let’s talk about the dreaded question.
The leaders will vow to expedite work to help Ukraine get its grain out of the country to global buyers by rail and truck as the Russian Navy blocks normal sea routes and is increasingly seeking independence from Russian energy. is taking steps.
The draft shows leaders will explore ways to curb rising energy prices, including the feasibility of introducing a temporary price cap, cutting red tape on turning to renewable sources of energy, and national efforts to better help each other. It involves investing in connecting energy networks across borders.
But in another sign of how EU leaders are struggling to agree more sanctions, a planned ban on Russians receiving assets in the EU was lifted after Cyprus objected to it, A European Union diplomat said. ($1 = 0.9296 Euro)
(Additional reporting by Bart Meijer, Gabriela Baczynska, Kate Abnett, Philippe Blenkinsop, Sabine Siebold; Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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