Brussels, March 21, (dpa/GNA) – Lithuania, the Czech Republic and Romania are making a fresh push for the EU to ban Russian oil and gas on Monday, as civilian casualties worsen amid intensifying violence in Ukraine.
The European Union must avoid “an impression of fatigue” on Russia sanctions, Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said, calling again for a ban on Russian energy imports, starting with oil.
EU foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels ahead of an intensive week of talks, between Western allies over Ukraine: an EU summit, a NATO summit and G7 talks are all planned for later in the week.
Meanwhile, three and a half weeks after the start of Russia’s invasion, the fighting has shown no sign of abating, with EU member states increasingly disturbed by the violence being used against civilians in Ukrainian cities.
The Russian attack on Mariupol was a “massive war crime,” the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said before the start of the meeting. “It’s a destruction of people who are suffering incredibly,” he said.
The extent of the destruction in Ukraine is making it harder to argue against new sanctions targeting Russian oil and gas, Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said.
The EU must be ready to adopt more sanctions, Romania’s Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu said.
Stronger sanctions are necessary to “undermine the Russian ability to wage war,” Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský said, adding that loopholes on existing sanctions also needed to be closed.
EU members in Eastern Europe including the Baltics and Poland, have been pushing for tougher sanctions including an EU ban on Russian oil and gas imports.
EU member states heavily dependent on Russian gas, particularly Germany, have been resisting such a move. So far the bloc has avoided targeting the Russian energy sector, concerned about energy price increases.
The renewed push for further sanctions on Russia is not unexpected. An EU diplomat warned the decision “is going to dominate and it’s not going to be easy,” ahead of the meeting.
EU foreign ministers are also due to discuss strategies for future defence cooperation as well as for supporting countries bordering Ukraine who has had to cope with huge refugee numbers, such as Moldova and Poland.
In light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Poland also wants an increased emphasis on NATO in the common defence strategy to be discussed on Monday, EU diplomats told dpa.
The policy proposal, in development long before the war in Ukraine, aims to enhance military cooperation in the bloc with plans for joint forces, to respond quickly to the outbreak of crises.
EU member states make up a majority of NATO with 21 members. Germany, France and Italy are also members of the G7 group of industrialized nations.
Ukraine’s Defence Minister, Oleksiy Reznikov, is to brief the EU ministers on the current situation in the conflict. Moldova’s deputy prime minister and Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu are also to attend.
GNA