Some members of the European Union are demanding sanctions to be imposed on energy imports from Russia on account of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine while the price of oil rebounds amidst fears of new sanctions, the ongoing war, and supply issues.
Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis agreed with his Irish counterpart, stating that “it’s unavoidable we start talking about the energy sector, and we can definitely talk about oil because it is the biggest revenue to Russia’s budget.”
Countries like Germany and Italy are heavily reliant on Russian gas, while Poland and Denmark rely on Russian coal.
Dutch PM Mark Rutte has warned that cutting off the EU from Russian oil and gas in the near-term is not a possibility. Meanwhile, Baltic nations like Lithuania are pushing for an oil embargo.
“Americans would remain as they are and would feel much better than Europeans (in the event of oil embargo). This would be hard for Europeans—such a decision would hit everyone,” Peskov said.
Brent crude prices surged on Monday as EU foreign ministers discussed a potential ban on Russian energy. Brent May futures were trading at $114.57 per barrel as of 12:54 p.m. EDT on March 21, up $5 from its opening of around $109.35. U.S. President Joe Biden is due to meet members of the EU, NATO, and G7 nations this week to strengthen the West’s response to Moscow’s attack on Ukraine.