European Union international locations ought to ban Russian oil imports within the subsequent six months, and all refined oil merchandise by the tip of the 12 months, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, advised the European Parliament on Wednesday morning as she unveiled the bloc’s new package deal of measures towards Russia.
The crude ban and different measures shall be introduced intimately to E.U. ambassadors Wednesday and are anticipated to be adopted by the tip of the week.
“Let us be clear, it will not be easy,” Ms. von der Leyen advised European deputies on the parliament’s plenary session in Strasbourg, France. “Some member states are strongly dependent on Russian oil. But we simply have to work on it.”
Her announcement was greeted with applause by the members of Parliament, reflecting the broad consensus that the measure, whereas tough to take and probably economically painful for Europeans, has been lengthy anticipated as crucial to start out depriving President Vladimir V. Putin of money wanted to fund the battle.
E.U. diplomats who’ve seen the sanctions paperwork mentioned that Hungary and Slovakia, two members with outsize dependence on Russian oil imports, can be given till December 2023 to ban the gas.
The diplomats additionally mentioned the proposal will embrace sanctions towards the top of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, in a extremely symbolic transfer that can goal him for supporting Mr. Putin’s invasion’s of Ukraine.
Ms. von der Leyen mentioned that the bloc of 27 international locations will even impose sanctions on Sberbank, Russia’s largest financial institution.
The proposal contains banning extra Russian broadcasters from European airwaves and stopping E.U. firms from offering Russian purchasers with companies like public relations consulting and accounting.
“We are depriving the Russian economy from its ability to diversify and modernize,” Ms. von der Leyen mentioned. “Putin wanted to wipe Ukraine from the map. He will clearly not succeed.”