While the Russian offensive in Ukraine is tightened, the European Commission prepares the 19th pack of penalties against Moscow. In Brussels we work to respond to the increasingly violent attacks recorded on Kiev, providing a narrow on the tourist visas granted to Russian citizens, given the circulation still wide in Europe detected this summer, and restrictions on the Diplomatics of the Federation.
Among the interventions against the Kremlin, however, there would also be the hypothesis of secondary sanctions to the countries that acquire oil and gas from Russia. A road to which the United States push the European Union, which however has not yet completely dismissed by Russian energy supplies.
The new package of sanctions
The possibility of also traveling indirect interventions, to try to affect the Russian economy more effectively and force Putin to deal with Ukraine, was confirmed by the president of the European Council Antonio Costa.
It’s not easy. We have to fight the shadow fleet and reduce the moscow ability to finance the conflict, not only by increasing our penalties but by imposing secondary sanctions to the countries that acquire gases and oil from Moscow
The solution of imposing duties to the countries that make business with Russia, rather than restrictions on tourist visas and diplomats, is the one on which the United States push more in the package developed in collaboration with Brussels.
Secondary sanctions
Just as at the EU, the US asked the G7 to impose duties against India and China, the main commercial partners of Russia especially on oil, which “are financing the war machine of Russian President Vladimir Putin and prolonging the senseless massacre of the Ukrainian people”.
A concept expressed in no uncertain terms from the Treasury Secretary, Scott Beesent:
If the United States and the European Union manage to intervene, imposing further penalties and secondary duties on the countries that acquire Russian oil, the Russian economy will undergo a total collapse and this will force Russian President Putin to sit at the negotiation table
According to rumors, the Washington has proposed to apply to these countries duties between 50 and 100%.
EU dependence on oil and Russian gas
The United States reminders put the Commission in difficulty, to which the Trump administration asks to close the flows of energy raw materials from Russia as soon as possible, also by virtue of the purchase commitment of 750 billion dollars of American energy in three years signed on the occasion of the agreements on the duties with the EU.
Following the interruption of the early year of the supplies that arrived through Ukraine, a drop in Russian gas in the European Union at 13% is estimated by the end of 2025, against a 45% share in 2022, before the invasion.
The part of Russian oil purchased by the EU is 3%, but still represents 80% of the supplies of Hungary and Slovakia through Turkey. However, there is no shortage of racing shares which, imported from Budapest and Bratislava, enter Europe through the capillary network and are distributed to different countries.
The Commission has set the definitive stop of the supplies of Russian gas and oil from Moscow by 2027
- prohibition to sign new contracts of January 1, 2026;
- interruption by June 17, 2026 of the short -term contracts in force;
- Stop by 31 December 2027 for long -term contracts.
