Russian Oil Embargo Could Be Part of Next EU Sanctions Package, Ministers Say

The EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell. Reuters
The EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell. Reuters
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Russian Oil Embargo Could Be Part of Next EU Sanctions Package, Ministers Say

The EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell. Reuters
The EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell. Reuters

The European Union's executive is drafting proposals for an EU oil embargo on Russia, the foreign ministers of Ireland, Lithuania and the Netherlands said on Monday, although there was no agreement to ban Russian crude.

Many of the ministers meeting in Luxembourg showed support for sanctions on Russian oil imports, the EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell said, but for others, such a ban would constitute an "asymmetric shock", he said. The bloc agreed, however, to intensify the delivery of weapons to Ukraine, Germany said.

"They are now working on ensuring that oil is part of the next sanctions package," Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said of the European Commission.

Targeting Russian oil, which makes up about a quarter of the EU's crude imports, is seen as the EU's next step as it seeks to pressure Russia to halt the shelling of Ukrainian cities following Moscow's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine.

Galvanized by what Ukraine says are senseless killings of civilians by Russian troops since the invasion, the bloc last week approved a fifth round of sanctions on Russia that included an end to Russian coal imports.

Russia has denied targeting civilians in what it calls a "special operation" to "denazify" its southern neighbor.

"Nothing is off the table, including sanctions on oil and gas," Borrell said. He has previously said an embargo must happen "sooner or later". The European Parliament last week voted for an embargo, although its decision is not binding.

'Coordinated plan'
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on April 5 that she was considering additional sanctions, including on oil imports, based in part on proposals from EU governments. Those ideas include imposing tariffs on Russian oil, or a ban on some oil products. Borrell said EU states were also working independently to reduce their dependency.

Any oil embargo rests on both the technical details of the scope and phase-in time of such a move and the support of the EU's 27 member states. Energy dependence varies across the bloc, with countries such as Bulgaria almost totally dependent on Russian oil. Hungary has said it cannot support an oil embargo.

Germany's position, as the EU's biggest economy, will be crucial. While offering Ukraine more weapons, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called for a "coordinated plan to completely phase out fossil fuels" from Russia. EU diplomats said Berlin is not actively supporting an immediate embargo.

The United States and Britain have banned Russian oil, hoping to cut off a significant source of revenue for Moscow. The decision is harder for Europe's economy due to its dependency and could push up already high energy prices.



UN: Wars Now Displace Over 122 Million People as Aid Funding Falls

FILE PHOTO: Sudanese women from community kitchens run by local volunteers prepare meals for people who are affected by conflict and extreme hunger and are out of reach of international aid efforts, in Omdurman, Sudan, June 22, 2024. REUTERS/Mazin Alrasheed/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Sudanese women from community kitchens run by local volunteers prepare meals for people who are affected by conflict and extreme hunger and are out of reach of international aid efforts, in Omdurman, Sudan, June 22, 2024. REUTERS/Mazin Alrasheed/File Photo
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UN: Wars Now Displace Over 122 Million People as Aid Funding Falls

FILE PHOTO: Sudanese women from community kitchens run by local volunteers prepare meals for people who are affected by conflict and extreme hunger and are out of reach of international aid efforts, in Omdurman, Sudan, June 22, 2024. REUTERS/Mazin Alrasheed/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Sudanese women from community kitchens run by local volunteers prepare meals for people who are affected by conflict and extreme hunger and are out of reach of international aid efforts, in Omdurman, Sudan, June 22, 2024. REUTERS/Mazin Alrasheed/File Photo

The number of people displaced by war and persecution around the world climbed above 122 million this year due to a failure to resolve multi-year conflicts such as those in Sudan and Ukraine, the UN refugee agency said on Thursday, noting that funding to help the refugees has fallen to 2015 levels.

There were over 2 million more people displaced globally by the end of April 2025 than there were the previous year despite the return of nearly the same number of Syrians after the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's rule, according to the report by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.

The report attributed the rise to major conflicts in Sudan, Myanmar and Ukraine and a "continued failure to stop the fighting".

"We are living in a time of intense volatility in international relations, with modern warfare creating a fragile, harrowing landscape marked by acute human suffering," Grandi said in a statement alongside the report.

The surge in displacement numbers comes as funding to help them has fallen to 2015 levels when the total number of refugees around the world stood at about half current levels, Reuters quoted the UNHCR as saying.

It described the cuts in aid as "brutal and ongoing" and said the situation was untenable, leaving refugees and others vulnerable.

Humanitarians complain that a lack of political leadership in brokering peace deals is prolonging conflicts and stretching aid groups tasked with addressing their impacts.

The agency, whose largest donor has historically been the US, has previously said that the cuts put millions of lives at risk and left women refugees at a greater risk of rape and children at risk of trafficking.

UNHCR has not given details on which donors have reduced their funding. US President Donald Trump has cut most foreign aid while Britain and European neighbors are spending less on aid and more on defense.