On Wednesday, the European Commission will present the sixth package of sanctions against Russia, in which it proposes a gradual ban on the import of crude oil from Russia, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced in Strasbourg on Wednesday.

Ursula von der Leyen, during the plenary session of the European Parliament, during the debate on the social and economic consequences of the war in Ukraine, said that the EU would like to gradually end the import of crude oil from Russia within six months, and the import of refined oil products by the end of the year. As he put it: this will not be easy, because there are member states that are heavily dependent on Russia in this area, but it must be done.

The upcoming sixth package of sanctions against Russia would ban the import of Russian crude oil in six months, and the import of refined petroleum products in nine months, "with the exception of Hungary and Slovakia," writes Politico based on four diplomatic sources.

Due to their landlocked location, Hungary and Slovakia receive Russian oil entirely via the Barátság pipeline, which is why they can be exempted from the embargo, Portfolio said based on the article. from privatbankar.hu , taking this into account, the EC decided to

Hungary and Slovakia can continue importing until the end of 2023.

The member states will vote on the sixth sanctions package, which also includes the oil embargo, on May 4. To enter into force, it will need the approval of all ambassadors sitting in the European Council.

The European Union's sixth package of sanctions includes, among others, high-ranking military officers who committed war crimes in Bucsa or are responsible for the siege of Mariupol under the EU's austerity measures.

Sberbank and Russian media are excluded

The new package of austerity measures would also exclude Sberbank and two other large banks from the global electronic payments system known as SWIFT. It also bans three large Russian state-owned broadcasters from broadcasting in the EU on all platforms, cable, satellite, internet and smartphone applications, the president of the EU commission said.

“We have identified these broadcasters as Kremlin mouthpieces. They are aggressively amplifying Russian President Vladimir Putin's lies and propaganda. We must no longer give them the opportunity to spread their lies," he said.

Von der Leyen also said that because Moscow relies on EU accountants and consultants, the EU will ban the provision of such services to Russian companies.

"Putin wanted to wipe Ukraine off the map, but he won't succeed. We want Ukraine to win the war. And Putin will have to pay a heavy price for the brutal aggression in Ukraine," he said.

All this "paves the way" for Ukraine's future towards the European Union

The president of the EU committee also spoke about the fact that the EU wants to contribute to Ukraine's success even after the war. Through the macro-level financial support package on short-term economic support for reconstruction, as well as direct support from the Ukrainian budget.

He said that the EU has started to develop a large-scale recovery package in order to stimulate investments and bring about the necessary reforms. This package should address the weaknesses of the Ukrainian economy and lay the foundations for sustainable, long-term growth, he said. All this "paves the way" for Ukraine's future towards the European Union, added the president of the EU committee.

2022 plus / MTI

MTI Photo: Attila Balázs