The EU is now preparing the 14th package of sanctions against Russia since the full-scale invasion.
The European Commission is considering introducing restrictions against Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG). Thus, this will be the first step that Brussels can decide to take in relation to the gas sector of Moscow. This was reported by two EU diplomats, writes Politico.
Now the executive body of the European Union is preparing the 14th package of sanctions against the Russian Federation during the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation in Ukraine.
Diplomats note that new sanctions may concern three Russian projects in these gas sectors of the Russian Federation, as well as the re-export of Russian liquefied natural gas from EU ports.
The publication noted that Brussels has now introduced a complete ban on the export of Russian coal and sea oil to the EU, but they could not reach agreement on gas restrictions, because countries such as Hungary remain dependent on imports from the Russian Federation.
At the same time, since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, the EU has reduced its dependence on Russia for gas imports by about two-thirds through a combination of sudden shutdowns from Moscow and changes in suppliers to Norway and the United States.
Although Russian LNG accounted for only 5% of the EU’s energy consumption last year, the bloc still paid the Kremlin approximately 8 billion euros for its exports, which mainly went to ports in France, Spain and Belgium. However, the new proposals do not ban the purchase of Russian LNG in the bloc, but rather, they concern cargo that arrives at EU ports only to be sent to other countries,” the material explained.
The publication added that EU ambassadors will discuss such a proposal to the Commission at the beginning of next month.
Sanctions against the Russian Federation: latest news
As UNIAN wrote, the EU has taken up new sanctions against Russia. There they plan to apply them to about ten companies. It turned out that Russia, with the help of other countries, continues to receive prohibited technologies worth tens of millions of euros for the production of weapons, despite the imposition of sanctions.
The US and UK also announced new bans on the import of certain metals of Russian origin. In particular, we are talking about aluminum, copper and nickel.
“Our new bans on key metals, in coordination with our partners in the UK, will continue to target the proceeds that Russia may receive to continue its brutal war against Ukraine,” said US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.
