European Council: towards an embargo on Russian oil?

Jacques Serais 7:53 p.m., May 30, 2022

Will the Twenty-Seven sanction Russia more?

While Ukraine is at the heart of a summit in Brussels, EU member states are considering a sixth package of sanctions against Moscow, including the embargo on Russian oil.

Hungary against the Russian embargo

A large part of the Member States wants to go further in the sanctions aimed at Russia.

Now it's time to come to an agreement.

At the heart of the discussions: the fact of stopping to import Russian oil by the end of the year.

But it is far from won because Hungary is not in favor of this project. 

This country depends for 65% of its consumption on Russian oil transported by pipeline.

And the veto of Viktor Orban, the Hungarian Prime Minister, can block everything.

The manager therefore asks for guarantees.

The compromise studied here is that the Russian oil embargo does not apply to crude transported by pipeline, but only to oil transported by ship.

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The unanimity required to adopt the sanctions

But even with this condition, Viktor Orban is extremely cautious.

He is negotiating the duration of this exemption for the pipeline.

He is asking for four years when France, for example, does not want it to last more than two years... He also wants to have the right to receive oil sent by sea if ever something happens to the pipeline. 

In short, so many conditions which lengthen the negotiations here between the Twenty-Seven, while unanimity is required to adopt these sanctions.

And, at this stage, it shows above all that the European Union does not speak with a single voice in the face of Vladimir Putin.