For the first time, an import ban for Russian gas and oil is in the air. The Kremlin uses it to finance its war. But turning off the taps would also put EU countries like Austria in trouble.
Vladimir Putin’s attack on Ukraine makes what was practically impossible until recently tangible: after decades, the European Union is beginning to completely decouple itself from Russian natural gas and oil. For the first time, a complete ban on imports is the strongest sanction to date. “We have to get rid of dependence on Russian gas, oil and coal,” said Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission President, on Monday before a meeting with Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi. On Tuesday, the Commission will present an action plan for “more affordable, secure and sustainable energy” that is intended to support the EU countries in cutting their ties with Russia when it comes to gas and increasingly relying on liquid gas and pipelines from North Africa, as well as on alternative energy sources.
The sanctions against Moscow have already gone very far, but this embargo must also be discussed in order not to finance the war in Ukraine, said Europe Minister Karoline Edtstadler (ÖVP) on Sunday evening in the ORF program “Im Zentrum”. That’s what most Eastern European heads of government think. They urge not to wait for Putin to turn off the taps like he did in 2006.