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.



US, Iran Agree to Hold 6th Round of Indirect Talks

Vehicles of the Iranian delegation leave an entrance of the Omani embassy in Rome where nuclear talks between Iran and the United States were held (Reuters)
Vehicles of the Iranian delegation leave an entrance of the Omani embassy in Rome where nuclear talks between Iran and the United States were held (Reuters)
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US, Iran Agree to Hold 6th Round of Indirect Talks

Vehicles of the Iranian delegation leave an entrance of the Omani embassy in Rome where nuclear talks between Iran and the United States were held (Reuters)
Vehicles of the Iranian delegation leave an entrance of the Omani embassy in Rome where nuclear talks between Iran and the United States were held (Reuters)

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Iran’s recent posture in nuclear negotiations has grown “much more aggressive,” just days before the sixth round of indirect talks is set to take place on Sunday in Muscat, Oman.

While Trump said the next round of talks would take place on Thursday, a senior Iranian official and a US official said Thursday was unlikely.

Iran and the US have already held five rounds of talks mediated by Oman. And while Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Tehran and Washington will hold the newest round of talks in Muscat next Sunday, Iran’s top negotiator, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, will be attending the annual Oslo Forum in Norway on Thursday, his office said.

“The US proposal is not acceptable to us. It was not the result of previous rounds of negotiations. We will present our own proposal to the other side via Oman after it is finalized. This proposal is reasonable, logical, and balanced,” Baghaei said.

“We must ensure before the lifting of sanctions that Iran will effectively benefit economically and that its banking and trade relations with other countries will return to normal,” he added.

Trump said that the next round of talks could make it clear if a nuclear deal is possible to avoid military action.

He told reporters at the White House on Monday that Iran appeared to have rejected a key element of an American proposal aimed at breaking the deadlock in the negotiations over the future of the country’s nuclear program.

“They’re just asking for things that you can’t do,” Trump said at the end of an economic event with business and Wall Street leaders. “They don’t want to give up what they have to give up. You know what that is: They seek enrichment.”

Trump also told reporters: “We can’t have enrichment. We want just the opposite, and so far, they’re not there. I hate to say that, because the alternative is a very, very dire one.”

At the same White House event, Trump said he had a telephone conversation on Monday evening with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

One day prior to his phone call with the Israeli PM, Trump and his entire top foreign policy team huddled in Camp David for hours on Sunday to discuss US strategy on the Iran nuclear crisis and the war in Gaza, two US officials and another source with knowledge told Axios.

A senior US official told Axios the president sees both crises as intertwined and part of a broader regional reality he is trying to shape.

Tehran has defended its right to enrich uranium as “non-negotiable,” while Washington called any Iranian enrichment a “red line.”

Meanwhile, Washington's ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, told Bloomberg on Tuesday that Trump will not allow Iran to enrich uranium. Huckabee said “there’s nothing’s off the table,” when asked whether military action was on the table if negotiations failed.

On Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reiterated criticism of a plan by European powers (France, Germany, the UK) and the US to adopt a resolution at the IAEA meeting that would accuse Tehran of non-compliance with nuclear obligations.

“Any ill-considered and destructive decision in the Board of Governors against Iran will be met with an appropriate response,” Araghchi said during a phone call with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya.

The Japanese Foreign Ministry then said Iwaya and Araghchi had a candid exchange of views on Iran’s nuclear issue.

“Iwaya emphasized that Japan strongly hopes for a peaceful resolution of the issue and that Iran should not miss the opportunity for an agreement between the United States and Iran,” the Ministry statement said.

In Tehran, Iranian lawmakers said in a statement on Tuesday that the United States and Israel are seeking to turn nuclear talks into a “strategic trap” for Iran.

“The US is not serious in negotiations at all. It has set the goal of talks as imposing its demands and has adopted offensive positions that are diametrically opposed to Iranians' inalienable rights,” the statement from parliamentarians said.

“The only acceptable deal is one that permanently lifts all sanctions with the aim of achieving economic benefits for Iran,” lawmakers added in their statement.