Ukraine’s War Economy
EU wants to ban all coal imports from Russia
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EU wants to ban all coal imports from Russia
The European Union plans to ban all coal imports from Russia. The ban will form part of sanctions the EU is planning in response to war crimes committed by Russian troops.
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The European Union plans to tighten its sanctions against Russia. With the ban on coal imports, the energy sector is also being sanctioned directly for the first time. Sanctions are also foreseen for Russian ships and trucks.
The European Union plans to ban all coal imports from Russia. Reuters and Bloomberg news agencies report unanimously. So the ban should be part of the sanctions the EU is planning in response to war crimes committed by Russian troops in Ukraine.
Details are not yet known, but could be decided this week. Insiders also reported that the European Commission plans to ban Russian trucks and ships in the EU.
Russian oil and gas deliveries have yet to be sanctioned. However, EU member states sometimes have very different opinions about upcoming sanctions. Some state governments are expecting a signal from the EU this week to also cut Russian oil imports.
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Germany is one of the few countries that does not want to impose more sanctions on the Russian energy sector. Austria and Hungary have also resisted so far. However, the ban on all coal imports and other measures against Russia require the consent of all 27 EU member states.
The Commission also proposes to add dozens of other people and entities to the sanctions list, including banks like VTB Bank, which have been banned from the Swift payments system but have not yet been fully sanctioned.
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on the sidelines of the meeting in Luxembourg that he, as interim president of the Council, was campaigning for approval by all 27 member countries. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian also wanted to talk to Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) in Berlin about new punitive measures.
Christian Lindner wants to leave Russia’s gas imports untouched
French President Emmanuel Macron has already called for a freeze on oil and coal imports. The FDP has agreed to move away from Russian oil. In the case of oil, unlike gas, the switch could “succeed in a few weeks,” said FDP energy expert Michael Kruse. Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) spoke out against halting gas imports on Monday but left measures in the oil and coal sectors open.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced a visit to the Ukrainian capital of Kiev for this week. Along with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, she wants to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy there, her spokesman said.