The leaders of the European Union (EU) member states have agreed on the 6th package of sanctions, which will ban 90 percent of oil imports from Russia until the end of the year.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President Charles Michel held a press conference after the first day sessions of the EU Leaders' Summit held in Brussels.
"I am very glad that the leaders have agreed in principle on the 6th package of sanctions," said von der Leyen, adding that 90 percent of oil imports from Russia will be banned by the end of the year.
Von der Leyen stated that they would reevaluate the issue of 10 percent oil supplied from Russia via the pipeline in the future.
Reminding that two-thirds of the EU's oil imports from Russia are realized by sea and one-third by pipeline, von der Leyen said that the northern part of the Druzhba pipeline is delivered to Poland and Germany, and the southern part to Hungary and Slovakia. He told me that he was supplying Russian oil.
Von der Leyen pointed out that Poland and Germany have declared that they will not import oil from the pipeline in question, and that the sanctions to be imposed so that they will cover 90 percent of Russian oil.
Von der Leyen stated that the southern part of Druzhba delivers 10 percent of oil to Europe, "We agreed that this should be exempted from sanctions for now." said.
Von der Leyen stated that the other elements in the 6th sanction package are also important and noted that Sberbank, the largest bank in Russia, will be removed from the international payment system SWIFT.
Von der Leyen stated that they also banned the insurance and reinsurance of Russian ships by EU companies and the provision of commercial services to Russian companies, and stated that 3 Russian media institutions stopped their broadcasts in the EU.
Von der Leyen, pointing out that Ukraine urgently needs financial support, stated that they are working on a mechanism for an extraordinary macroeconomic aid package of 9 billion euros.
President of the European Council, Michel, pointed out that Ukraine needs financial support and said, "The European Council approved 9 billion Euros of macro financial support." he said.
Pointing to the importance of the EU's support to Ukraine, Michel stated that this means a strong political message.
Call for unconditional withdrawal to Russia
In the final declaration published after the EU Leaders' Summit, it was noted that the EU was determined to increase the pressure on Russia and Belarus.
The declaration, which used the phrase "The European Council calls on all countries to comply with EU sanctions", demanded that any attempt to circumvent sanctions or assist Russia in other ways be stopped.
In the declaration, it was noted that the 6th package of sanctions against Russia will also cover crude oil and other petroleum products.
In the declaration, which pointed out that a temporary "exception" will be applied for crude oil sent via pipeline, it was stated that efforts to gradually end the dependence on Russian fossil fuels would be accelerated.
In the declaration, it was pointed out that in case of sudden supply interruptions in oil, urgent measures will be taken to ensure supply security, and it was stated that the European Council will return to the temporary exemption for the crude oil supplied by the pipeline as soon as possible.
The declaration condemning the Russia-Ukraine war asked Russia to immediately stop attacks on civilians and infrastructure.
The declaration called on Russia to immediately and unconditionally withdraw from Ukrainian territory.
The declaration, which states that "the EU will continue to provide support to Ukraine in order to meet its humanitarian aid, liquidity and restructuring needs", reminded that EU countries provide protection to millions of refugees fleeing the war.
In the declaration, the EU Commission was asked to prepare new initiatives to provide support to the refugees in question.
Pointing out that the EU will continue to support the Ukrainian government in urgent need of liquidity, the declaration said, "The EU is ready to provide Ukraine with new exceptional macro-financial assistance of up to 9 billion euros in 2022." expression was used.
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Sberbank is being removed from SWIFT
Michel also stated that the 6th sanction package agreed by EU leaders tonight includes the exclusion of Sberbank, one of the largest banks in Russia, from the money transfer system SWIFT and the banning of Russian state televisions.
Apart from the sanctions package, EU countries also reached an agreement to meet Ukraine's liquidity needs together with the G7 countries.
Michel stated that the EU is ready to donate 9 billion euros to Ukraine for this purpose and that they will support the reconstruction of Ukraine.
Hungary was against
The proposal prepared by the EU Commission about a month ago included phasing out the supply of crude oil from Russia in 6 months and the supply of refined products by the end of the year.
Some member states, especially Hungary, opposed the oil import ban. Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic were given additional time to import oil from Russia.
Despite this, Hungary was opposed to the complete cessation of imports until energy supply security was fully ensured.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, at the entrance to today's EU Leaders' Summit, said that the EU Commission prepared a proposal without consulting them and that it "acted irresponsibly".
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