Politics

EU nations agree their first restrictions on Russian gas

Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images
Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images
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The EU has agreed its 14th package of sanctions against Moscow, according to diplomats, in a move aiming to curtail the reloading and sale of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) in EU waters.

The package also includes measures against “ghost ships” transporting Russian oil.

Negotiations between member countries produced a watered down version of proposals that aimed to tighten weaknesses in EU sanctions that still permit significant amounts of Russian hydrocarbons to be sold in the bloc.

Gas from Russian ships has been liquefied outside ports like Antwerp and then resold. That practice will now be forbidden. However, LNG processed in Russia will still be allowed to be sold.

The package stopped short of measures against dual-use products, at the behest of Germany.

The new sanctions also ban North Korean vessels from EU ports if they are carrying Russian oil.

"This hard-hitting package… will strip Russia of further energy revenues. And tackle (President Vladimir) Putin’s shadow fleet abroad,” said European Commission President Ursula Vonder Leyen, commenting on the measures.
Source: Reuters
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