European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen He said Wednesday that the measures would form part of a sixth round of sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
“We are now proposing an embargo on Russian oil,” she said in a speech to the European Parliament. Let’s be clear: It won’t be easy. But we simply have to work on it. We will make sure that Russian oil is phased out in an orderly manner, to increase pressure on Russia, while minimizing the impact on our economies. “
It added that crude oil supplies will be phased out within six months, and imports of refined oil products by the end of 2022.
News of the proposal, which still needs approval by all EU member states, boosted crude oil prices. Brent crude futures, the global benchmark, were up 2.4% at $107 a barrel, while US oil futures were up 2.7% at $105 a barrel at 3.30 AM ET.
Oil prices are up around 40% since the start of the year amid fears that the Russian invasion of Ukraine could lead to a supply shock, driving up inflation and putting pressure on European economies.
Hungary recently reiterated its opposition to the oil embargo, and Slovakia is said to be seeking an exemption.
Russia is the world’s second largest exporter of crude oil, and last year accounted for about 27% of the European Union’s oil imports. The United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia have already banned imports.
These sanctions – and de facto embargoes by some European oil refineries and traders – have already affected the price of Russian oil. Its benchmark Urals crude is now trading at a discount of $35 a barrel to Brent, compared to less than $1 before the invasion.
Some customers in Asia are said to be buying more Russian oil but not in enough quantities to make up for the loss of Western buyers.
“Russia’s ability to redirect all unwanted shipments from the West to Asia is limited, which means that in the event of an embargo, Russia will have to cut production even more because it lacks the storage capacity for additional crude oil volumes,” analysts at Rystad Energy wrote. Monday’s research report.
The International Energy Agency recently estimated that Russian oil supplies will decline by 1.5 million barrels per day in April as demand declines, with those losses accelerating to 3 million barrels per day this month.
But the rise in world prices For oil and natural gas means Moscow continues to reap huge sums from its energy exports. Rystad estimates that Russia will collect more than $180 billion in energy tax revenue this year – 45% more than in 2021 – despite oil production cuts.
financial isolation
The Association for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, which is based in Belgium, must comply with European Union regulations. With no universally accepted alternative, this is an essential plumbing of global finance.
“We hit banks that are systemically important to the Russian financial system and Putin’s ability to wreak havoc,” von der Leyen said. This will reinforce the complete isolation of the Russian financial sector from the global system.
Three major Russian state-owned radio stations will also be banned from European airwaves.
Anna Cuban and Julia Horowitz contributed to this article.
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