The countries of the European Union (EU) will continue “at the beginning of the week” the difficult negotiations to overcome the obstacles that hinder the project of a European embargo on Russian oil, informed diplomatic sources.
Ambassadors from the 27 member countries met on Sunday without reaching an agreement on the sixth series of sanctions against Moscow, presented on Wednesday by the European Commission.
“Contacts at all levels will continue at the beginning of the week with the aim of reaching a full agreement on this sixth package” of sanctions as soon as possible, a European diplomat said.
The European Council “is united by the need to adopt” these measures. “Great progress has been made for most” of them, he added.
The European Commission’s proposal calls for an embargo on Russian oil by the end of the year, but the measure raises suspicion in some countries.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose country is heavily dependent on Russian energy, warned on Friday that the Brussels proposal undermines “European unity”. To adopt the sanctions, the unanimity of the 27 members is required.
“There is no political blockade, but it is necessary to guarantee alternative sources of supply to countries in the interior that depend on Russian oil by pipeline. And it is not an easy thing,” a European diplomat assured AFP.
“These are new infrastructures and technological changes, which involve not only European funding, but also agreements between various Member States.
“We are making progress, but it takes time,” he added. The work continues “to respond to the security of supply concerns of some countries”, reiterated another diplomat.
