Some European Union countries say it may be time to consider abandoning the plan to ban Russian oil imports for the time being and move on with the rest of the new sanctions package if Hungary is not persuaded to support the embargo, according to Bloomberg.
In particular, European governments have not abandoned their goal of reaching an agreement with Budapest on a full package of sanctions, including an embargo, by Monday, when EU foreign ministers meet in Brussels, according to EU diplomats quoted by the agency. .
However, according to the same diplomats, the idea of leaving the move against Russian oil, which Hungary said would be extremely damaging to its economy, is now gaining support.
At the same time, however, other countries are worried that lifting the embargo would now be a sign of weakness, another diplomat told Bloomberg.
It is recalled that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has argued that any ban on Russian oil should be discussed by EU leaders at a summit, with the next scheduled for late May.
Earlier this week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had scheduled a video call with Orban and other regional leaders for a possible compromise, but the conversation was postponed and has not been rescheduled.
The EU proposal is to ban imports of crude oil for the next six months and refined fuels by early January. The plan proposed that Hungary and Slovakia have their own timetable by the end of 2024 and the Czech Republic by June of the same year, as they are heavily dependent on Russian crude.
However, Hungary toughened its stance on Wednesday, saying it would withdraw its threat to veto the embargo only if it imports Russian crude through pipelines.
It is noted that other countries, such as Bulgaria, have also begun to request exemptions from the proposed embargo.
For his part, however, European Union Foreign Minister Josep Borrell appeared confident today that an agreement could be reached in the coming days to impose an embargo on Russian oil.
Source: Capital
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