“I think that measures on oil and even gas will be necessary sooner or later,” declared the Belgian official before the MEPs gathered in plenary session in Strasbourg.
"Today we express our outrage at crimes against humanity, against innocent civilians in Bucha and many other cities. Further proof that Russian brutality against the Ukrainian people has no limits" , said Charles Michel.
"This is not a special operation. These are war crimes", he continued, recalling that the European Union was helping to collect evidence, in order to "bring those responsible to justice ".
The European Commission proposed Tuesday to the Twenty-Seven to toughen the sanctions against Moscow, by stopping their purchases of Russian coal, which represent 45% of imports from the EU, and by closing European ports to Russian ships.
But a possible embargo on oil (25% of European purchases) and gas (45% of EU imports) is the subject of bitter discussions between the Member States, Berlin having publicly expressed its reluctance.
Germany cannot do without "short-term" Russian gas supplies and sanctions against Moscow in this sector would hurt the EU more than Russia, German Finance Minister Christian Lindner said on Monday. .
On the other hand, the Baltic States have already stopped importing Russian gas since the beginning of April.
Our sanctions "are relevant because they affect Russia much harder than us", declared the President of the Commission Ursula von der Leyen, in the hemicyle.
"These sanctions will not be the last... We have banned coal, but now we have to look at oil and the income that Russia derives from these fossil fuels," she said.
© 2022 AFP