European Commission to propose earlier end to Russian fossil fuel imports, its chief says
The European Commission will propose an earlier end to imports of Russian fossil fuels into European Union countries, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said today on X. She made the announcement after a phone call with US President Donald Trump, which focused on stepping up joint pressure on Russia over the war in Ukraine.
"The Commission will soon present its 19th sanctions package, targeting crypto, banks and energy. Russia’s war economy, sustained by revenues from fossil fuels, is financing the bloodshed in Ukraine. To stop this, the Commission will propose accelerating the phaseout of Russian fossil fuel imports," von der Leyen wrote, describing her call with Trump as a good one.
It is not yet clear what specific date von der Leyen has in mind. The European Commission’s proposal in June referred to the end of 2027.
Trump said on Saturday that he was prepared to impose major sanctions on Russia if all NATO countries did so and stopped buying Russian oil. If NATO does not do what Trump wants, he said, it is simply wasting his time.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded by urging allies to stop looking for excuses not to impose sanctions on Russia, which he said are part of the path from war to peace.
Among NATO countries, Turkey is a major importer of Russian oil, buying more than any country except China and India. Other alliance members, specifically Slovakia and Hungary, also remain dependent on Russian oil.
Translation disclaimer
This article is a machine translation of the Czech original and has not yet been fully reviewed. In case of any doubt, please refer to the Czech version.
