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EU approves partial Russian oil import ban in new round of sanctions

A protester shows signs of emotion while voicing support for Ukraine at a rally outside of the Russian Embassy in New York City on February 24. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
A protester shows signs of emotion while voicing support for Ukraine at a rally outside of the Russian Embassy in New York City on February 24. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

May 30 (UPI) -- The European Union has agreed on a deal to impose a partial ban on oil imports from Russia in the face of its invasion of Ukraine, top EU officials announced late Monday.

European Council President Charles Michel said the ban agreed to by the bloc's 27 members in the sixth round of sanctions against Moscow will cover "more than two-thirds of oil imports from Russia, cutting a huge source of financing for its war machine."

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The statement was a reference to the two-thirds of Russian imports that arrive into Europe by sea. The other one-third are shipped mainly to Eastern European nations via land-based pipelines.

In a series of tweets, Michel said EU nations had also agreed to block Russia's largest lender, Sberbank, from the SWIFT international payment system, ban three more Russian state-owned broadcasters and impose sanctions against "individuals responsible for war crimes."

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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she "welcomed" the Council's action, which came during an emergency meeting of the European Council in Brussels.

"This will effectively cut around 90% of oil imports from Russia to the EU by the end of the year," she said in a Twitter post.

The deal to block Russian oil imports into the EU came after a weeks-long internal struggle in which landlocked Eastern European countries such as Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic sought exemptions and opt-outs from the proposed ban, arguing they need more time to ween themselves from Russian oil.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke to the European leaders via video link on Monday, urging them to stop internal "quarrels," which, he said, only helped Moscow.

"Europe needs to show strength because Russia only sees strength as an argument," Zelensky said, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

The summit's conclusions shows the EU "resolutely condemns Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine" and urges Russia "to immediately stop its indiscriminate attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure and to immediately and unconditionally withdraw all its troops and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders."

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It also shows that the council, which oversees the union's political direction, will return to the issue of the "temporary exception for crude oil delivered by pipeline as soon as possible."

The council also agreed Monday to humanitarian and financial support for Ukraine, specifically making available nearly $9.7 billion to Kyiv in new macro-financial assistance this year.

It also agreed that a so-called Ukraine reconstruction platform should be developed between Kyiv, EU member states and the European Investment Bank along with international partiers and institutions.

"EU support for reconstruction will be linked to the implementation of reforms and anti-corruption measures consistent with its European path," it said, referencing actions that Ukraine must take to become a member state, which it applied to become after Russia invaded on Feb. 24.

In a press conference, Michel called the agreement a "remarkable achievement" and one that shrugs away recent criticism that there was a lack of unity within the union.

"We do not underestimate all of the difficulties. We know that we needed a few weeks before we were able to take such a decision, but we sent a very strong signal today," he said. "And I think that more than ever it is important to show that we are able to be strong, that we are able to be firm, that we are able to be tough in order to defend our values, to defend our interests."

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The statement came as Russian troops moved into the outskirts of the key city of Sievierodonetsk after days of heavy shelling and fighting as Moscow continued its quest to capture eastern portions of Ukraine.

War in Ukraine: Scenes from Kharkiv

A woman eats food given to her by volunteers at a food delivery station run by a Hare Krishna group in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on May 20, 2022. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo

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