The EU recognizes that measures against Russian oil and gas will be “necessary” sooner or later.

“The new package of sanctions includes a ban on coal imports. “But, ladies and gentlemen, I believe that measures against Russian oil and gas will be needed sooner or later.” These are the words of the President of the Council of Europe, Charles Michel, who spoke on Wednesday at the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg regarding the tightening of the energy embargo that Germany is currently holding: “We are going to ban the docking of Russian ships in European ports. But it will last a long time. ”

Michelle intervenes in the debate in Strasbourg at the last European summit two weeks ago, when events have become obsolete: the Bucha massacre and the tightening of sanctions imposed by the European Union, the fifth package that, in fact, includes. An embargo on coal, but not on oil and gas: “We want to live and be Europeans. “Putin is not going to win this war.”

“A member of this chamber said that the war should have ended as soon as possible, but when it does, how will it end?” Asked European Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Borrell at the plenary session. But by no means. Because if it ends with a ruined, dominated country, with millions displaced and killed, we do not want it to end like this. No way and for that we must continue to arm Ukraine. It needs less applause and more help, they hope. Less to say, he is a hero and give more weapons to fight the invader at every opportunity. We have given Ukraine 1 billion euros, which may sound like a lot, but this is what we pay Putin every day for the energy he gives us. “We have given them 35,000 million since the beginning of the war,” Borrell said at the plenary session.

And there are 35,000 million that Brussels has sought to stop with a strategy to find alternative suppliers – such as the liquefied natural gas agreement with the United States – to accelerate the emancipation of Russian fuel; But that even pictures of the Bucha massacre did not become a destructive weapon in stopping the invasion of Ukraine.

But energy sanctions, the first energy sanctions announced six weeks before the start of the Russian invasion, will not affect for the time being the fuel that makes the most money in Russia and on which Germany is most dependent: gas. But Michelle acknowledged ahead of plenary sessions in Strasbourg on Wednesday that “sooner or later” Russian gas and oil would have to come into contact if Russian President Vladimir Putin did not end the war.

“The war in Ukraine is a moment of truth, it is an urgent moment for the European Union. “This war opens our eyes to the need to build a strategic EU,” Michelle said.

“We have seen terrible images of Bucha,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “This is what happens when Putin’s troops occupy the territory. They talk about release, but they are war crimes. “At this critical juncture, we need to increase pressure on Putin and tighten our sanctions: this is the first time we have imposed sanctions on Russian fossil fuels.”

For his part, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, acknowledged at the plenary session that the war showed “the geopolitical position on the risks of strategic reduction of the world divided by the consequences of this war.” .

Borrell explained that the goal is “to isolate Russia, to unite the international community around a law-abiding order, and that this conflict does not build a divided world between the West and a new alliance of autocrats when there is a group of developing countries.” That many rely on the Russian side. ”

“We have achieved two great diplomatic triumphs in the United Nations with two voices condemning Russia,” Borrell said. You have to look at the world through their eyes to understand it. The world is the color of the glass with which it is seen, as the Spanish poet said [Ramón de Campoamor]And we have to learn to look at the world through someone else’s glass. ”

Borrell said “NATO has no alternative”, while calling for it not to be “Irresponsibility In terms of European defense. ”

The fifth package of sanctions

According to the executive director of the society, Ursula von der Leyen, the proposal she submitted to the 27th, which will be discussed by the EU ambassadors in Brussels this Wednesday, “will be a ban on the import of coal from Russia. To be established at a cost of 4000 million euros per year. ” In addition, the EU wants to approve a “complete ban on transactions at four major Russian banks, including VTB, the second largest Russian bank. These four banks represent 23% of the market share in the Russian banking sector. “This will further weaken Russia’s financial system.”

Third, the EU continues to “ban Russian ships and ships operated by Russia from entering EU ports. Some exceptions include basic products such as agriculture and food products, humanitarian aid and energy. In addition, we will propose a ban on road transport operators in Russia and Belarus. This ban will severely limit the Russian industry’s ability to obtain basic goods.

“The fourth,” von der Leyen said, would be “the next targeted export bans, worth $ 10 billion, to areas where Russia is vulnerable.” “For example, quantum computers and advanced semiconductors, but also sensitive machines and transport equipment.”

Next, there will be “a further ban on $ 5.5 billion worth of imports to stop the flow of money from Russia and its oligarchs, from products ranging from timber to cement to seafood to alcohol.” “In doing so, we are also closing the gap between Russia and Belarus.”

Finally, von der Leyen declared: “We are taking very specific measures, such as a general EU ban on Russian companies participating in public procurement in member states, or the exclusion of any financial support, be it European or national. Russian public bodies. “European tax money should not go to Russia in any way.”