The EU’s energy dependency on Russia must be reduced, says EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. However, the EU foreign ministers were unable to bring themselves to agree on a Russian oil embargo.
The foreign ministers of the EU countries have not yet made a decision on possible restrictions on oil imports from Russia.
Only a general discussion was held, said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Monday after a ministerial meeting in Luxembourg. However, with a view to further sanctions against Russia for the invasion of Ukraine, he emphasized: “Nothing is off the table, including sanctions on oil and gas.”
Borrell advocated making a distinction between the two fuels and starting with oil. The bill for oil imports was four times higher than that for gas last year, he said. Basically, it is important to reduce the energy dependency of the EU as quickly as possible. The development of renewable energies contributes to the strategic autonomy of the international community.
Borrell: “Battle of the Narratives”
Borrell described the Russian war against Ukraine with the words “failure” and “horror”. The Russian army leaves civilians dead and cities destroyed. The expected Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine increases the willingness of the EU to support Ukraine militarily. However, his proposal for an additional 500 million euros from EU funds for the supply of arms and equipment to the Ukrainian armed forces has not yet been decided because it still needs ratification by some national parliaments.
With regard to the war and its consequences, Borrell spoke of the “battle of the narratives”. Russia blames the sanctions for the fact that food is becoming scarce and prices are rising. However, the reasons for this are that Russia is bombing fields in Ukraine and blocking Ukrainian ships full of wheat. “They bomb and destroy the wheat stocks and prevent that wheat from being exported.” It is Russia that is causing hunger in the world, not the EU with its sanctions.
Source: Stern
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