EU May Stop Oil Imports From Russia

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, announced the 6th package of sanctions to be applied to Russia. The new sanctions proposal submitted by the European Union (EU) Commission also included a ban on oil imports from Russia.

“EU Can Stop Oil Imports From Russia.” Speaking at the European Parliament (EP) General Assembly held in Strasbourg, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the content of the new sanctions package planned to be implemented against Russia. Within the scope of the new package presented at the session on "The economic and social consequences of the Russia-Ukraine war for the EU", it was stated that high-ranking officers and other persons who committed war crimes in Bucha and were responsible for the siege of the city of Mariupol will be added to the sanctions list. Von der Leyen emphasized that they are targeting banks that are critical in Russia's financial system and said, "We are removing Sberbank, the largest bank in Russia, and two other big banks from SWIFT." Von der Leyen emphasized that with the removal of these banks from SWIFT, the complete isolation of the Russian financial sector from the global system will be ensured. The publication ban EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that they will impose a broadcast ban on 3 Russian state channels and emphasized that these institutions will not be allowed to operate in any way in EU countries through cable, satellite, internet or smartphone applications. Dependence on Russian Energy Will End Leyen also referred to one of Russia's biggest trump cards, natural gas imports. “There will be a complete ban on imports of crude and refined Russian petroleum products transported by the pipeline.” Explaining that Russian oil will be terminated regularly and gradually by securing alternative supply routes and minimizing its impact on global markets, von der Leyen said, "We will phase out Russia's crude oil supply within 6 months and the refined product supply by the end of the year."