The Twenty-Seven have also decided to close European ports to Russian ships, as part of a fifth salvo of sanctions against Moscow, announced the French presidency of the Council of the EU.
The Twenty-Seven finally managed to agree. Their representatives decided on Thursday an embargo on Russian coal and the closure of European ports to Russian ships, as part of a fifth salvo of sanctions against Moscow, announced the French presidency of the Council of the EU.
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This package “very substantial” also provides for the ban on exports to Russia, in particular of high-tech goods, up to 10 billion euros, and new sanctions against Russian banks, according to the same source. It had been proposed by the Commission after the discovery of dozens of corpses of civilians last weekend in Boutcha, near kyiv.
A resolution adopted by the European Parliament
Earlier this Thursday, the European Parliament had called, in a resolution adopted on the same day, for the imposition of an embargo “total and immediate” on imports “oil, coal, nuclear fuel and gas” Russians. The resolution was voted by 513 MEPs (22 votes against, 19 abstentions). “This is a very important moment and a significant step. Parliament’s position is clear and sends the strongest message of support to those on the front line.”commented the president of the institution, Roberta Metsola, after the vote on this non-binding resolution.
If the European Commission had proposed Tuesday to the Twenty-Seven to accentuate the sanctions by stopping the purchases of Russian coal, the Parliament therefore demanded to go further. But a possible embargo on Russian oil (25% of total European oil imports) and Russian gas (45% of the total) is the subject of bitter discussions between the Member States, Berlin having publicly expressed its reluctance. The subject is to be discussed next Monday at the meeting of European foreign ministers.
Stepping up sanctions and support for Ukraine
In their resolution, MEPs also asked to “intensify arms deliveries to Ukraine”, which Dmytro Kouleba, the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, again demanded on Thursday during a trip to NATO headquarters in Brussels. So far, the 27 have agreed on an envelope of one billion euros to supply armaments to kyiv. “It may seem like a lot, but a billion euros is what we pay Putin every day for the energy he provides us”said Josep Borrell, the head of European diplomacy, on Wednesday.
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Parliament has also demanded that “all necessary measures” be taken so that “the deeds of Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko”Belarusian President, “be prosecuted as war crimes and crimes against humanity”. MEPs also came out in favor of the creation of a “Marshall-like fund” to rebuild Ukraine after the war.