Lower price cap on Russian oil to pressure Putin for ceasefire - Polish FM
A reduced price cap on Russian oil, targeting its network of shadow tankers and boosting Ukraine's defence industry have been mentioned by the Polish foreign minister as additional measures to exert pressure on Russia to end its war with Ukraine.
On Tuesday, EU foreign ministers adopted the 17th package of sanctions against Russia in response to its aggression towards Ukraine. The European Commission has already announced it would prepare an additional set of measures as Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to ignore calls for a ceasefire.
"If President (Donald - PAP) Trump ultimately acknowledges that Vladimir Putin is engaged in playing 'cat and mouse' with him, delaying a ceasefire, it is likely that a stringent package proposed by (US Republican Senator - PAP) Lindsey Graham will be launched, very tough," Radoslaw Sikorski told journalists while in Brussels.
Should that be the case, the European Union ought to follow suit, he added.
"What we can do right now, is to invest in the Ukrainian defence industry... for example in drone production," Sikorski said, as this capability would also be essential for EU nations given the current reliance on drones in warfare.
Additionally, he mentioned other potential measures to pressure Russia into ending the conflict, such as reducing the price cap on Russian oil, which would require a decision from the G7, or targeting the so-called shadow fleet that Russia employs to evade Western sanctions.
According to Sikorski, Russia's fleet of substandard and uninsured tankers, which operate under various flags and transport large quantities of oil, pose significant environmental hazards and create chaos on the seas.
"We must be sure that if something (catastrophic - PAP) like that happens, someone will be held accountable," he concluded.
On April 1, US Senators Richard Blumenthal and Lindsey Graham proposed a bill that would make it more difficult for Russia to finance its war effort through measures such as imposing major tariffs on goods imported to the US from countries which buy fuels from Russia. (PAP)
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