EU struggles to ban Russian oil over Hungary and Slovakia’s opposition
REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk
European Union leaders are weighing fresh sanctions on Russian oil at the urging of U.S. President Donald Trump but must first overcome opposition from Hungary and Slovakia, Bloomberg reported on Sept. 15, citing informed sources.
G7 governments are drafting new measures over the coming weeks, according to the report. U.S. officials have stepped up pressure on Brussels after the EU delayed its phase-out of Russian natural gas until 2027 and granted Hungary and Slovakia temporary exemptions on imports of Russian oil. Even so, Moscow’s share of EU oil imports plunged from 27 percent before the full-scale war in Ukraine to about 3 percent last year, after 2022 sanctions took effect.
EU diplomats are now discussing the bloc’s 19th package of sanctions. It could target more Russian banks, energy companies, and payment systems. But any move to drop the Hungary and Slovakia carve-outs will require finding ways to allay those countries’ concerns over the cost of switching to alternative supply routes, the sources said.
Earlier this year, the EU agreed to ban imports of petroleum products made from Russian crude. That measure affects refineries in India and Turkey, which buy large volumes of Russian oil and export diesel and other fuels to the EU.
President Trump has so far refrained from imposing direct U.S. sanctions on Russia, despite repeatedly missing his own deadlines and President Vladimir Putin’s continued refusal to negotiate an end to the war. Trump did, however, double U.S. tariffs on Indian imports to 50 percent in response to India’s ongoing Russian oil purchases.
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