European Union flags flutter outside EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, January 18, 2018. REUTERS / Francois Lenoir / File Photo
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BRUSSELS, May 30 (Reuters) – Leading EU diplomats met on Monday for a final attempt to agree on sanctions on oil imports to Russia before their leaders meet later in the day. avoid a show of disunity about the bloc’s response to the war in Ukraine.
According to a new draft summit conclusion, the 27 leaders should agree that their next round of sanctions will cover oil with a temporary exemption for crude oil delivered by pipeline, a compromise that ambassadors had failed to agree on Sunday.
The text seen by Reuters, which could still be revised again, would confirm an agreement on sanctions for offshore oil, with the supply of oil by pipelines to Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic without a coastline at some point.
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However, leaders meeting in Brussels in the afternoon would not specify the terms of this temporary exception, the text suggests.
Instead, they will ask diplomats and ministers to find a solution that also guarantees fair competition between those who still get Russian oil and the cut.
An EU diplomat said it represented “limited progress”, with too much detail yet to be determined for a full deal at the two-day summit, where leaders will have little concrete results if the impasse over the oil embargo stops a broader package of sanctions on the table.
EU leaders will declare continued support for Ukraine to help it defend Russia’s assault and discuss how to deal with the impact of the conflict, especially rising energy prices and an impending supply crisis. food.
“FRUIT UNIT”
However, talks will be overshadowed by a month-long struggle to agree on a sixth round of sanctions against Moscow, especially held by Hungary.
“After Russia’s attack on Ukraine, we saw what could happen when Europe is united,” German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said on Sunday. “Looking ahead to tomorrow’s summit, we hope it continues like this. But it’s already starting to sink and sink again.” Read more
Other elements of the latest sanctions package include removing Russia’s largest bank, Sberbank (SBMX.MM), from the SWIFT messaging system, banning Russian EU broadcasters and adding more people to its list. they are frozen.
The most tangible outcome of the summit will be an agreement on an EU loan package worth 9 billion euros ($ 9.7 billion), with a small component of grants to cover part of the interest, so that Ukraine can maintain its government in place and pay salaries for about two months.
A decision will be made later on how to raise the money.
According to a draft conclusion of the summit seen by Reuters, the leaders will also support the creation of an international fund to rebuild Ukraine after the war, with details to be decided later, and will touch on the legally complicated issue of confiscation. of Russian assets frozen for this purpose.
Leaders will pledge to speed up work to help Ukraine move its grain out of the country to global buyers by rail and truck, as the Russian navy is blocking regular shipping routes and taking steps to become more independent. Russian energy.
The draft showed that leaders will explore ways to curb rising energy prices, including the feasibility of introducing temporary price caps, reducing red tape in the deployment of renewable energy sources, and investing in networking. national energy sources across borders to help each other better. ($ 1 = $ 0.9296)
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Additional reports by Gabriela Baczynska, Kate Abnett, Philip Blenkinsop; Edited by Hugh Lawson
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