EU prepares new sanctions against Russia in response to Putin’s mobilization and arrival
- Alexey Kalmykov
- BBC
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The Europeans began to discuss new solutions to fight Russia in response to Vladimir Putin’s mobilization of the population, his deployment of nuclear attacks against the West and the opening of promises to annex several more regions of Ukraine after the so-called “referendums” in the partially occupied territories of the Russian army.
The new package is in danger of being symbolic and declarative. During the six months of the war, Europe severed the most important and financial ties with Russia. The stock of available tools is very limited.
After six and a half sanctions packages, the EU has two trump cards left: marginal oil prices and closed prices for Russian gas. Against the first minority, and against the second – the majority in the EU, since these problems are difficult to implement and are fraught with an oil and gas blockade by the Kremlin in the coming winter.
The discussion began on Friday and was supposed to go to the summit of leaders of 27 EU countries in Prague on October 6-7. The basis of the new package could be the expansion of the sanctions list of individuals and companies, as well as the price ceiling for Russian oil.
True, the EU has already imposed an embargo on Russian oil. It has been slowing action since December, but does not include pipeline proposals. Europe has banned insurance, financing and shipping of oil from Russia.
The US feared that the European embargo would cause a jump in world prices and offer an alternative – a price ceiling for Russian oil. Putin replied that he would not supply anything then: no oil, no gas, no oil products.
It is not yet clear what will happen to the embargo if the EU still decides to conclude a deal to purchase oil as part of a new package. And it is not a fact that all 27 countries will agree to this. Last time, Hungary was strongly opposed, as a result of which the approval of the oil embargo was delayed, and they themselves were found half-hearted and with a delay of another six months.
This time, Hungary’s mood is no less sensitive. Prime Minister Viktor Orban during a closed-door investigation before his party and stepped up the suspension of the decision to adopt a resolution with Russia over the recent New Year, published on the eve of the pro-Russian newspaper Magyar Nemzet, citing sources.
Orban’s party line runs counter to the pan-European one. For a significant share, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, obliges to strengthen the reaction of Ukraine and pressure on Russia.
“Sanctions are back.
Judging by the preliminary calculations of the oil price ceiling, the European Commission will convince Hungary and its neighboring countries to fully calculate forecast weather forecasts, take risks before the forecast season and check whether Putin was bluffing when he threatened to cut off the pipe.
Even less chance of more radical proposals for a new package collected, leaked to the media. Among them: a ban on the import of Russian diamonds, criminal prosecution aggressive Russian assets in Europe for 330 billion euros.