EU prepares new sanctions on Russia but spares oil and gas
New EU sanctions against Russia will not include restrictions on oil and gas (photo: Getty Images)
The European Union in its new package of sanctions against Russia will not touch the Russian energy market due to economic consequences and the "sensitivity of the issue," The Wall Street Journal reported.
As part of the preparation of the 19th package of sanctions against Russia, the European Union decided not to take additional steps that could further reduce purchases of Russian oil and natural gas.
According to the publication's sources, this topic remains "extremely sensitive for member states and could cause serious economic consequences within the bloc."
Sanctions against Russia
The European Commission plans to present the 19th package of sanctions against Russia by September 12. For this purpose, on September 8, the EU's special envoy on sanctions, David O'Sullivan, arrived in Washington.
Bloomberg, citing sources, reported that the new package of sanctions would include restrictions against Russian energy, cryptocurrency exchanges, and the payment system.
Earlier, Bild reported that the US President held a heated phone conversation with European leaders after the Coalition of the Willing meeting in Paris. He accused EU countries of purchasing Russian oil, which helps finance the Kremlin's war machine.
Later, Trump called on the EU to adopt tougher measures. In particular, he insisted on the introduction of high tariffs – up to 100% – on goods from China and India. In his opinion, such a step would increase pressure on Russia through international trade.
