New Delhi: Russia will find other importers for its oil, Russian Permanent Representative to international organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov said, commenting on the sixth package of EU sanctions against Russia, which includes a partial embargo on Russian oil.
“As she rightly said yesterday, #Russia will find other importers. Noteworthy that now she contradicts her own yesterday’s statement. Very quick change of the mindset indicates that the #EU is not in a good shape,” Ulyanov tweeted Tuesday in response to von der Leyen’s tweet announcing the partial oil embargo.
Earlier, EU leaders negotiated the sixth package of sanctions against Russia during the summit in Brussels, which includes, in particular, cutting Sberbank off the SWIFT international payment system, a partial embargo on the import of Russian oil, a ban on three more Russian state mass media an expansion of the blacklist of people whom the EU considers responsible for violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Ursula von der Leyen noted that the EU hopes to reject up to 90 percent of imported Russian oil before the end of this year.
EU leaders negotiated the sixth package of sanctions against Russia, which includes, in particular, a partial embargo on the import of Russian oil and cutting Russia’s Sberbank of the SWIFT international payment system, European Council President Charles Michel announced Monday.
“Agreement to ban the export of Russian oil to the EU. This immediately covers more than 2/3 of oil imports from Russia, cutting a huge source of financing for its war machine. Maximum pressure on Russia to end the war,” Michel tweeted.
“This sanctions package includes other hard-hitting measures: de-Swifting the largest Russian bank Sberbank, banning 3 more Russian state-owned broadcasters, and sanctioning individuals responsible for war crimes in #Ukraine,” he added.
However, The government of Japan supported the EU decision to impose a partial embargo on the import of Russian oil, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said at a press conference Tuesday.
“Oil export is an important means of acquiring foreign currency for Russia, and I welcome the fact that the EU agreed to work together on measures that will lead to further reduction of our energy dependence on Russia,” he said.
Japan also supports the G7 intent to reduce its dependence on Russian energy, Matsuno said.
“It was a very difficult decision for our country, which is almost entirely dependent on the import of oil, but now is the time when the unity of the G7 is hugely important,” he said.
On Monday, EU leaders negotiated the sixth package of sanctions against Russia, which includes, in particular, the partial embargo on the import of Russian oil and cutting Sberbank off the SWIFT payment system.
(Vinayak)
