“The sixth package of sanctions has been adopted, and we will abandon Russian energy supplies as soon as possible. We must start working on the next package of sanctions immediately because as long as the war in Ukraine continues and Ukraine has not won or concluded a just peace agreement, we will not have done enough,” said Prime Minister Kaja Kallas at the European Council in Brussels. Sanctions will be imposed on the vast majority of Russian oil imports immediately. According to the European Commission, Russian oil imports into the EU will be cut by nearly 90% by the end of the year. Landlocked countries will have a transitional period until the necessary infrastructure and connections with other EU countries are completed to ensure the security of supply. At the same time, the prime minister added that the European Union must continue to work towards stopping the use of Russian gas.
“We are committed to abandoning Russian energy as soon as possible. The sooner we do this, the sooner Putin’s war machine will run out of fuel,” Kallas said. According to the European Commission’s REPowerEU plan, the aim is to phase out the vast majority of Russia’s energy sources by the end of this year by diversifying suppliers, building capacity to use LNG, accelerating the deployment of renewable energy, and developing energy-saving measures.
In Brussels, Prime Minister Kallas stressed that peace must not be imposed on Ukraine. “Only the Ukrainians can say what the conditions for peace are. Russia can stop the war. The European Union will continue to put economic and political pressure on Russia, isolate the country, and help Ukraine in every possible way. It is also important to give Ukraine the best and clearest possible prospect of becoming a candidate country for membership of the European Union,” Kallas added. The EU will continue to support Ukraine, including additional up to nine billion euros to support the Ukrainian budget as well as humanitarian aid. In addition, it was decided that possibilities should be found to provide additional support to Member States to help them receive war refugees and support Ukraine in its reconstruction efforts.
Photos: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzSfCU
Summary of the European Council: https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/european-council/2022/05/30-31/
