Estonian Prime Minister Doubts Possibility Of Banning Russian Gas In 7th Sanctions Package

Estonian Prime Minister Doubts Possibility of Banning Russian Gas in 7th Sanctions Package

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said on Tuesday that the European Union should lose no time starting to discuss new sanctions against Russia but admitted that a gas embargo would realistically not make it into the seventh package, given its potential impact on European consumers

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st May, 2022) Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said on Tuesday that the European Union should lose no time starting to discuss new sanctions against Russia but admitted that a gas embargo would realistically not make it into the seventh package, given its potential impact on European consumers.

On Monday night, the EU leaders reached an agreement at a summit in Brussels to embargo Russian oil supplied by sea, while pipeline deliveries will continue as normal for now. European Council President Charles Michel told a press conference that Hungary and other landlocked EU member states would be granted temporary exemptions.

"I think that gas has to be in the seventh package, but I am realistic as well, and I do not think it will be there," Kallas said ahead of the second day of the European Council summit.

The Estonian prime minister believes that any further sanctions against Russia will be "even more complicated" due to a growing backfire impact on EU countries.

"All the next sanctions will be more difficult, because so far they were only hurting Russians, but now they will also have an effect on Europeans and that is why it is much more politically difficult to discuss those things," Kallas said.

On Sunday, an EU source told Sputnik that the bloc decided against banning deliveries through the Druzhba (Friendship) pipeline to solicit Budapest's support, which has long opposed the oil embargo over energy security concerns. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU will cut oil imports from Russia by 90% by the end of 2022 after reaching the agreement.