The seventh package of EU sanctions will include Russian gas and an expanded list of banks, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak said.
“The seventh package of sanctions against Russia is our priority. The EU has already begun work on it. New restrictions should apply to Russian gas and expand the list of banks that will be disconnected from SWIFT, in particular, Gazprombank,” he wrote on his Telegram channel. on Saturday evening with reference to the Deputy Foreign Minister of Poland, Pavel Yablonsky.
The sixth package of EU sanctions provides for a phase-out of Russian oil, in particular from 6 months for crude oil to 8 months for other refined products, the European Council reported.
“The EU has decided to ban the purchase, import or transfer of crude oil and certain petroleum products from Russia to the EU. The phase-out of Russian oil will take from 6 months for crude oil to 8 months for other refined products,” the European Council said in a press release on its website. on Friday.
A temporary exemption is provided for the import of crude oil by pipeline to those EU member states that, due to their geographical position, suffer from a special dependence on supplies from Russia and do not have viable alternatives.
“Moreover, Bulgaria and Croatia will also receive temporary derogations regarding the import of Russian marine oil and vacuum diesel fuel, respectively,” the European Council said.
The proposal of the European Commission regarding the sixth package of sanctions with an oil embargo on Russia because of the war it unleashed against Ukraine will be supported by all member states of the European Union, European Council President Charles Michel has said with confidence.
“I can assure you that I’m working very hard with my team and with my colleagues in order to make sure that we will be able in very short term to take united position on the proposal putted on the table by the Commission,” he said in an exclusive interview with the Interfax-Ukraine.
Michel recalled that “systematically in the past there were some concerns that we would not be able to be united.” “We were systematically able to adopt united position. And, of course, it required some negotiations, talks, decision. We need the support of the 27 governments. A few weeks ago I said publicly in the European Parliament that sooner or later oil and gas would be part of the sanctions. This is an important step… This is Commission which makes a proposal but these are the governments, this is Council which takes a decision,” the President of the European Council said.
As part of EU sanctions, the Bulgarian authorities imposed a ban on entry into their ports for ships from Russia, the Associated Press (AP) reported on Sunday.
“All ships flying the Russian flag, as well as ships that changed the Russian flag or registration to any other state after February 24, are denied access to the sea and river ports of Bulgaria,” AP quotes excerpts from a statement by the Bulgarian Maritime Administration.
AP specifies that the Bulgarian authorities will make an exception for ships in distress or in need of humanitarian assistance, as well as ships carrying energy, food and medicine to the EU.
On the eve it became known about a similar order of the Italian authorities. At the same time, Russian cargo ships, which are currently in Italy, were ordered by the authorities to go to sea as soon as they complete their current operations.
Earlier in April, the EU introduced another package of sanctions against the Russian Federation, ordering, in particular, to close ports for ships from Russia. At the same time, exceptions are provided for the transportation of a number of goods, for example, energy carriers, agricultural products.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky had a conversation with Prime Minister of Sweden Magdalena Andersson.
“I spoke with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson. He spoke about the critical situation in Mariupol. We discussed defense support for Ukraine, strengthening anti-Russian sanctions. I thanked for supporting Ukraine’s accession to the EU,” Zelensky wrote on Twitter.
The US authorities believe that they have already introduced the bulk of the sanctions against the Russian Federation, and now it is necessary to achieve their implementation, Jake Sullivan, US presidential adviser on national security, said on Thursday.
“We believe that we have adopted the main sanctions, and in the coming days we will focus our attention on trying to avoid their action,” Sullivan was quoted by Western media as saying at the Economic Club forum in Washington.
According to him, in the coming two weeks, the US administration will announce measures to identify those who help the Russian Federation to circumvent the sanctions imposed because of the full-scale war unleashed by the Russian Federation against Ukraine and because of the aggression of Russian troops shocking the world.
“I think that in the next one or two weeks we will announce those who contribute to the circumvention of sanctions both in Russia and abroad,” the adviser stressed.
