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E.U. Leader Calls for Russian Oil Ban

BRUSSELS — The European Union’s top official on Wednesday called on the 27-nation bloc to ban oil imports from Russia in a sixth package of sanctions targeting Moscow for its war in Ukraine.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also proposed that Sberbank, Russia’s largest bank, and two other major banks be disconnected from the SWIFT international banking payment system.

Von der Leyen, addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, called on the EU’s member nations to phase out imports of crude oil within six months and refined products by the end of the year.

“We will make sure that we phase out Russian oil in an orderly fashion, in a way that allows us and our partners to secure alternative supply routes and minimizes the impact on global markets,” von der Leyen said.

These proposals have to be approved by all members in order to become effective. This will likely cause heated debate. Von der Leyen conceded that getting all 27 member countries — some of them landlocked and highly dependent on Russia for energy supplies — to agree on oil sanctions “will not be easy.”

Learn moreColumn: Russia Still Wins the Energy War

If approved, the ban on oil imports will be the second package of EU sanctions targeting Russia’s lucrative energy industry over its war in Ukraine that President Vladimir Putin started on Feb. 24. In addition to sanctions on various entities and individuals — including Putin himself and members of his family — the bloc previously approved an embargo on coal imports.

Although the EU is currently discussing a natural gas embargo and has begun discussions, it’s more challenging to get agreement among members on how to target this fuel to heat homes and generate electricity.

Hungary and Slovakia have already said they wouldn’t take part in any oil sanctions, but von der Leyen didn’t elaborate on whether they would receive an exemption from the sanctions, although this appears likely.

Von der Leyen also said that the EU should target high-ranking military officers and others “who committed war crimes in Bucha,” a suburb of the capital Kyiv. Officials from Ukraine claim that the Russians were responsible for mass killings of civilians at Bucha by their retreating troops.

“This sends another important signal to all perpetrators of the Kremlin’s war: We know who you are. You will be held accountable. You’re not getting away with this,” von der Leyen told the lawmakers.

Banks are also in the EU executive arm’s sights, and notably Sberbank. Von der Leyen said the aim is that “we de-SWIFT Sberbank.” SWIFT is the major global system for financial transfers.

Von der Leyen claimed that Sberbank has around 37% of Russia’s banking sector.

“And we will also de-SWIFT two other major banks in Russia. By that, we hit banks that are systemically critical to the Russian financial system and Putin’s ability to wage destruction,” she said.

Learn moreRussia could be pushed closer to Beijing by sanctions and change the global financial system

Von der Leyen said that anyone spreading misinformation regarding the conflict in Ukraine will be taken to task.

“We are banning three big Russian state-owned broadcasters from our airwaves. They will not be allowed to distribute their content anymore in the EU, in whatever shape or form be it on cable, via satellite, on the internet or via smartphone apps.”

She didn’t name the broadcasters directly, but branded the television channels “as mouthpieces that amplify Putin´s lies and propaganda aggressively. We should not give them a stage anymore to spread these lies.”

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