The European Union (EU) has begun discussions on the fifth round of sanctions against Russia. He writes about this on Monday, March 21, Reuters referring to a high-ranking European diplomat.
“We are working on the fifth round of sanctions, many new names are being proposed,” the source said, who wished to remain anonymous.
He also added that the possibility of an embargo on Russian oil is being considered.
New restrictive measures are being formed due to the fact that the previous four sanctions packages have not changed the policy of the Russian Federation towards Ukraine, the agency’s interlocutor explained. Now, according to him, the EU members must decide on a ban on the use of Russian energy resources.
A serious discussion on this issue is expected, as fuel prices in Europe are already reaching record levels, the diplomat added.
According to other sources of the agency, the embargo on energy resources could be approved as a last resort: in the event of a “massive bombardment of Kyiv” or the use of chemical weapons.
On March 20, the United States warned of a possible expansion of anti-Russian sanctions. More banks and unaffected sectors of the economy, especially those related to oil and gas, may be blacklisted.
The day before, the head of the industrial trade union of Germany spoke out against a possible embargo on energy supplies from the Russian Federation.
On March 18, it was reported that the EU authorities are studying whether it is possible to use the property of Russian citizens that fell under sanctions to finance the restoration of Ukraine.
On March 15, the fourth package of EU sanctions against Russia came into force. The bans affected new investments in the energy sector of the Russian Federation, the peaceful atom and the transportation of energy resources to the EU fell under the exceptions. In addition, the black list includes individuals and organizations. French Minister of Economy and Finance Bruno Le Maire said that the sanctions would affect over 600 Russians and most of the Russian financial system.
On March 11, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced that the European Commission would present by mid-May a plan to eliminate the EU’s dependence on Russian gas, oil and coal by 2027. Following the informal EU summit in Versailles, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke about the alliance’s plans to quickly reduce dependence on energy supplies from third countries, including Russia.
Economic and political sanctions against Russia were imposed by Western countries after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 24 the start of an operation to protect civilians in the Donbass. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov clarified that the special operation has two goals – the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine. According to him, both of these aspects pose a threat to the Russian state and people. The Russian side also emphasized that it does not hatch plans for the occupation of Ukraine, and strikes are carried out only on the military infrastructure of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
For more up-to-date videos and details about the situation in Donbass, watch the Izvestia TV channel.
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