The European Union is preparing another wave of sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine after a major shift by Russia’s biggest energy consumer, Germany.
The new sanctions come amid warnings from the United States that Moscow is preparing to formally annex parts of east Ukraine.
U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Michael Carpenter said that according to reports, Russia will engineer referenda for annexed Ukrainian sections to join the country, particularly the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Carpenter said that Russia is also considering a similar plan for a third region Kherson.
Further attempts to increase economic pressure against Russia come as well as the international community’s hopes for more evacuations from the besieged, devastated city of Mariupol.
The European Commission is expected to propose the sixth package of sanctions as agreed upon and issued by the European Union. This new round of sanctions will be different because it includes a potential embargo on buying Russian oil.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said that the latest package needs to include clear steps to block Russia’s efforts in Ukraine.
Germany has announced that it is prepared to back an immediate embargo from the European Union against oil and gas coming out of Russia. Germany’s economy minister, Robert Habeck, said that the country has reached a situation where Germany can bear an oil embargo.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been more cautious than other leaders in the West in backing Ukraine but has come under more and more pressure to take a firm line. Scholz promised that sanctions against Russia will not be lifted until Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin signs a peace deal with Ukraine that Kyiv can support.
Weaning Europe off Russian oil is expected to be easier than reducing dependence on natural gas coming out of Russia. Moscow has demanded that Europe pays for its natural gas in roubles, which the EU firmly rejected
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