Representatives of the 27 EU member states will discuss a proposal to impose a new package of sanctions against Russia during a meeting, focusing on limiting Moscow’s income from liquefied natural gas exports.
This information is reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to Politico.
According to the publication, the European Commission is aiming to stop the re-export of Russian LNG by EU countries.
It is planned that if the EU countries support the commission’s proposal, this will be Brussels’ first step in curbing the influence of Russia’s powerful gas sector in response to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Details of the proposed changes in re-export
According to the publication, although the EU has already banned the import of Russian coal and seaborne crude oil, the commission is not proposing a direct ban on the import of Russian LNG, which is still being purchased by EU member states in large volumes.
Instead, the commission suggests imposing restrictions on the transshipment of LNG through EU ports.
In particular, this may affect the Russian liquefied natural gas plant in Yamal, which uses icebreaker tankers to transport gas. Afterward, Russian LNG is unloaded at EU ports and sent to other countries around the world.