It had been in the pipes for several days, here it is now official. The sixth package of sanctions adopted by the European Union against Russia was approved on Thursday June 2 by the ambassadors of the Twenty-Seven. The text, which must still receive the written agreement of each member to be registered in the Official Journal, provides for an embargo of 90% of Russian oil imports by the end of the year. Initially hostile to the idea, Hungary finally gave its approval, because of the provisional exemption granted to oil transported by pipeline, on which Budapest depends. Two-thirds of the oil bought by Europe in Russia is transported by ship.
New personalities are also added to the European Union’s blacklist, such as Russian servicemen suspected of war crimes in Boutcha, family members of Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, and former gymnast Alina Kabaeva , alleged wife of Vladimir Putin. On the other hand, the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Kirill, a time threatened, is ultimately not concerned.
“We succeeded in obtaining the withdrawal from the list of Patriarch Kirill. It was a matter of principle for us because of our attachment to religious freedom”, commented the Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs. Among other measures, three new banks are excluded from the Swift international financial system, including Sberbank, the main banking institution, and three television channels, including Russia 24 and Russia RT, are banned from broadcasting in the European Union. In a tweet, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, welcomed the adoption of new sanctions against the Kremlin, making it possible to “reduce its capacities for financing the war”.
