European leaders have struggled to agree on whether to close the pipelines from Russia. Now they are making one last attempt. There have been intense negotiations throughout the weekend. The countries have not reached a solution. Hungarian President Viktor Orban has said it will be a disaster for the country’s economy. Orban has demanded at least four years of deferral and billion-dollar support to upgrade a refinery. He also requires a pipeline to Croatia. Viktor Orban arrives at the EU summit on Monday 30 May. Photo: JOHANNA GERON / ReutersPhoto: JOHANNA GERON / Reuters – Until now, in the first five sanctions packages, they have first come up with the sanctions, then they have thought about the consequences they will have and how to solve them. Since it is now about energy, we must change our approach, Orban says on the way to the EU summit. The Czech Republic and Slovakia also have strong objections to such a boycott. – Depending on Russian energy The leaders of the 27 EU countries will start a two-day summit on Monday. The goal is to agree on a sixth sanction package against Russia. It includes a ban on imports of Russian oil. EU countries have previously agreed on a number of sanctions against Russia. But in the case of Russian energy, there has been a halt. Especially from Hungary. They fear for their energy security. – The simple explanation is that Hungary has tied up its energy needs very hard against Russia, says Daniel Naurin. Professor Daniel Naurin is director of the ARENA Center for European Research at the University of Oslo. Photo: UiO He is a professor of political science and heads the Center for European Studies at UiO. Naurin explains that EU countries are now beginning to see the real economic costs associated with the sanctions. This makes it more difficult to agree on a common policy. Months after the invasion, Orban’s government dares to make stronger counter-demands to the EU, Naurin believes. – We have come a long way from the first shock after Russia attacked Ukraine. In the first weeks, the EU showed very strong unity, he says. – It has become tougher to get along this time, Naurin adds. Russian oil and gas have long been a key source of European energy use. The picture shows a plant connected to the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which extends from Russia to Germany. Photo: Michael Sohn / AP Do not believe in a solution It is almost a month since EU President Ursula von der Leyen proposed a boycott of Russian oil. She believed it had to happen during 2022. Von der Leyen does not believe in agreement on this issue now. – I have low expectations that this will be resolved within the next 48 hours, but I am sure that there will be an opportunity later, she says. EU Foreign Minister Josep Borrell is far more optimistic on behalf of EU countries. – I am completely confident that we will reach an agreement, Borrell said when he arrived at the meeting on Monday afternoon. Daniel Naurin believes a solution is possible in the future, but that there will probably be some compromises. – It is a tough nut to crack in a short time, he says. A number of prime ministers met in Brussels on Monday. From left Hungary’s Viktor Orban, Estonia’s Kaja Kallas, Italy’s Mario Draghi, Slovenia’s Janez Jansa and Finland’s Sanna Marin. Photo: Olivier Matthys / AP Zelenskyj: – Arguments must end At the summit, the European leaders will also discuss aid to Ukraine and defense cooperation in the EU. A draft statement from the EU summit, which has been accessed by the news agency Reuters, expresses broad support for Ukraine. It otherwise contains vague formulations about most things. – The war has shown that the EU has had the capacity to hold together in a way many did not believe. The most concrete outcome of this EU summit will probably be a promise of a loan package of just over NOK 90 billion to Ukraine. It will cover salaries for public employees in the country for two months. The EU summit opened with a video appeal from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He called for tougher sanctions against Russia, and for the EU countries to stop arguing. “All disputes in Europe must end – internal disagreements that only encourage Russia to put more pressure on you,” the president said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj addressed the EU summit. The picture is from another occasion. Photo: CHRISTOPHE SIMON / AFP
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Russian oil boycott splits EU at summit – NRK Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
