German Economy Minister Robert Habeck has commented on an issue that does not have the necessary unanimity within the European Union (EU), saying an embargo on Russian oil would be possible “within a few days”.
“There are only a few countries left to draw attention to the problems, especially Hungary, but the discussions are ongoing,” Habeck told public channel ZDF.
I believe we will make a breakthrough in a few days,” he said.
Europeans have already announced that they will stop importing coal from Russia from August. However, the bloc is still negotiating the possibility of an embargo on Russian oil before the end of the year.
“An embargo is at hand,” said Habeck.
European sanctions need to be approved unanimously.
Initially, Brussels aimed to stop imports of Russian crude oil within six months and imports of refined products before the end of 2022.
But so far, Hungary has refused to accept this sixth package of sanctions, proposed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, citing a lack of assurance that the measure will not cause supply problems in the country.
Hungary is dependent on oil supplied by Russia via the Druzhba pipeline, and the Hungarian government has demanded that this supply route remain sanction-free. Between 0.7 and 2.8 million barrels per day pass through the pipeline (a small fraction of European purchases).
source: Noticias
