One country holds EU hostage by blocking Russian oil embargo – Lithuanian Foreign Minister
Gabrielius Landsbergis ,
KYIV. UkraineGate , 16 , May , 2022 | War News.
The EU’s plan to impose an embargo on Russian oil is being hampered by only one member of the bloc. This was stated by Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis to reporters on Monday .
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“Unfortunately, now the whole Union is being held hostage by one member state … We have to agree, we cannot be held hostage,” Landsbergis said.
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According to him, the only EU member state “cannot help us find consensus.”
Diplomats from the bloc say Hungary, whose leader Viktor Orban is said to have close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, is resisting sanctions.
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As EU foreign ministers meet in Brussels on May 16 to discuss the next round of sanctions, some EU diplomats have suggested postponing the phasing out of the oil ban after Hungary opposed it, saying the move would cause significant damage to its economy.
At the same time, EU Foreign Minister Josep Borrell is not sure that the EU Foreign Ministers will be able to agree on an oil embargo against Russia on May 16.
The EU proposal aims to ban Russian oil for the next six months and refined fuels until early January. Hungary and Slovakia have been asked to comply by the end of 2024, and the Czech Republic – by June 2024. All three are heavily dependent on Russian oil.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has suggested that any ban on oil should be discussed by EU leaders at a summit. The next one is scheduled for the end of May.
Source: Ukrgate