Mario Draghi’s comments come as Kyiv calls for full ban on Russian gas and oil – but he says ‘gas embargo is not yet on the table’
ByJames Crisp, EUROPE EDITOR and Giada Zampano IN ROME 7 April 2022
European citizens may have to give up their air conditioning this summer to help secure peace in Ukraine, Italy’s prime minister has said.
“If the price of gas can be exchanged for peace … what do we choose? Peace? Or to have the air conditioning running in the summer?” Mario Draghi said in Rome.
Dmytro Kuleba, the Ukrainian foreign minister, addressing Nato and EU members in Brussels on Thursday, said: “As long as the West continues buying Russian gas and oil it is supporting Ukraine with one hand while supporting the Russian war machine with another hand.
“How many Buchas have to take place for you to impose sanctions? How many children, women, men have to die, innocent lives have to be lost for you to understand that you cannot allow sanctions fatigue as we cannot allow fighting fatigue?”
The EU was on Thursday poised to back a ban on Russian coal imports as momentum built behind new measures after evidence of suspected Russian war crimes.
Europe spends £16.7 million a day on Russian coal but £709 million on oil and gas, which are not subject to any sanctions.
The European Commission is drafting possible future measures against oil, but Mr Draghi said: “A gas embargo is not yet on the table, and I don’t know if it will ever be.”
EU sanctions require the unanimous support of all 27 member states, but many of them, including Italy and Germany, are dependent on Russian gas.
Italy imports 95 per cent of its gas, and 40 percent of that comes from Russia. It has gas reserves that would last until October if Russian supplies were stopped.
Mr Draghi said Rome would not block an EU gas embargo if all the other member states supported it. Speaking after a cabinet meeting to curb sharp energy price rises in Italy, he said Rome would be “perfectly happy to comply” with the ban.
Germany and Hungary have ruled out sanctions on Kremlin-controlled gas. Budapest also opposes an oil embargo, which Berlin – which has set a mid-2024 target for phasing out Russian imports – would back.
Kyiv attacked Viktor Orban for “helping” Vladimir Putin after Hungary’s prime minister said extending the sanctions was “a red line”.
Budapest, which signed a 15-year gas contract with Gazprom last year, received the first shipment of nuclear fuel for its Paks nuclear plant from Russia by air on Wednesday.
EU ambassadors are expected to back a ban on Russian coal after Germany successfully extended a proposed 90-day transition period to phase out coal contracts to 120 days.
That means the ban, which will hit imports worth £3.3 billion a year, should take effect in August – a month later than proposed by the European Commission.
Talks finalising a package of sanctions, which could include bans on Russian ships on landing in EU ports, were expected to continue late into Thursday evening, with a deal expected on Friday.
Finland said it would invest up to £710 million to end its energy dependence on Russia, as Estonia pledged to end its dependence on Moscow by the end of the year.
Switzerland, which is not an EU member, said it had frozen more than £6.1 billion in Russian funds and assets.
In a symbolic and non-binding vote, the European Parliament in Strasbourg voted overwhelmingly in favour of a resolution calling for “an immediate full embargo on Russian imports of oil, coal, nuclear fuel and gas”.
Comments pages for this article are swarming with kremtroll vermin, but here are some decent people :
Carpe Jugulum
“Merkel the East German must be so proud, delivering control of Germany to Putin. No wonder we bugged her telephone, someone obviously knew where her loyalties lay.”
Seedhouse Returns
“If the EU isn’t prepared to stop buying Russian gas then blow the pipeline Zelensky. I’ll happily buy another jumper.”
N Barton
“If the EU were to pull the plug on Putin now, the war will be shortened and least life lost.
With peace restored and Putin subdued they could restart with suitable conditions in place. If they delay then the tragedy will play out until winter when EU will need the gas and the opportunity will be lost.”
Bob Wright
“The reluctance of Germany and France to immediately reduce consumption of Russian gas and oil is a moral outrage. Their continuing snivelling appeasement of Putin, is contrary to the wishes of the majority of the EU, but as usual Germany wins, the Ukraine and the security of Europe loses out.”
Ted Cruz was warning four long years about ruSSian gas, later even Donald Trump joined in. By abandoning nuclear power plants Germany became completely dependent on ruSSian gas. It will take a while to get rid of ruSSian imports after the fat bytch was ousted. But if Germany’s economy will collapse, and the entire continent will follow, how will this help Ukraine?
Ukraine will survive. If Germanystan were to go down the drain, help it along by flushing the toilet.
Europe has put itself into this dumb position voluntarily. There were enough voices warning against it and if they would have observed many facets of mafia land, they could have acted accordingly. Stupidity is the new norm on this continent. But, we too have more than enough stupidity.