Brussels announces sixth package of sanctions against Russia: it is a partial veto on oil

The European Union (EU) of course this Friday adopted a sixth package of sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, which includes sanctions on Russian oil that fairway and ponder Exception For those arriving by pipeline to landlocked countries such as Hungary, Czech Republic or SlovakiaOne.

“With today’s package we are pushing the limits of the Kremlin’s ability to finance this war by imposing more economic sanctions. We ban imports of Russian oil into the EU and thus a great source of income for Russia Let’s cut it off,” the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Policy Josep Borrell said in a statement.

The sixth round of community sanctions against Russia and Belarus for aggression was approved yesterday at the ambassadors level of member states and was formally accepted this Friday, Will be published in the Official Gazette of the European Union in the next few hoursWhich will allow them to apply and know all the details.

Russian crude oil ban to take effect in six months

The main measure is a ban on the import of crude oil and oil products from Russia into the European Union, which will be implemented in six months Eight months for crude oil and for other refined products, according to the council.

However, a temporary exception is included, for which no time frame has been set at this time, for imports coming via pipelines to countries that “suffer a specific dependence on Russian supplies due to their geographical location and They have no viable alternative option,” the council said.

This exception is the result of a concession granted by EU leaders to the Hungarian Prime Minister, Victor OrbanoTo achieve the unanimity that was necessary to approve the sanctions and Slovakia and the Czech Republic would also benefit from it.

exempt countries

This means that the veto will be partial and It will affect 90% of the oil coming from RussiaSince that served by sea is about two-thirds of the total, that must be added to the commitments made by Poland and Germany to reach them via pipelines.

Too Bulgaria You Croatia They have received “temporary derogations” on oil obtained by sea and for empty gas oil respectively, according to the council, which has not yet specified the duration of such exceptions.

However, the Bulgarian prime minister, Kirill Petkov, assured after the leaders’ summit held this week that his country would be able to continue receiving Russian oil by sea until the end of 2024.

Sberbank enters approved banks

The sixth approval package expands an existing ban on the provision of special financial messaging services (SWIFT), which already weighs heavily on several Russian entities. SberbankThe largest bank in Russia, as well as the Moscow Credit Bank, the Russian Agricultural Bank and the Belarusian Bank for Development and Reconstruction.

In addition, twenty-seven extend the suspension of broadcasting activities in the European Union of three other Russian state media: RTR Planeta, Russia 24 and TV Center InternationalTo consider them the tools used by the Kremlin to manipulate information about the war and promote misinformation.

In its new round of punishing Russia for its attack on Ukraine, the European Union is expanding the list of people and entities (both Russian and Belarusian) affected by a ban on the export of dual-use goods and technology.

The list of prohibited goods and technologies that can contribute to the technological improvement of Russia’s defense and security sector also includes 80 chemicals that can be used for the production of chemical weapons.

Blocks Russia from accessing the cloud

Another novelty in the package, approved on the eve of the Hundred Days of War in Ukraine, is the provision of accounting, public relations and consulting services, as well as services. in the cloud for Russia,

As for the personal sanctions, the EU expands the list, which already exceeds a thousand people, who are responsible for the atrocities committed by Russian soldiers in Buka and Mariupol, who support the personality war, prominent businessmen And relatives of the oligarchs who appear on the list and officials of the Kremlin, as well as defense companies and a financial organization.

Even then, The patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Kirill, is not there.Which was given an exemption at the request of Hungary to give its consent to this package, whose talks lasted for a month.