EU plans energy imports sanctions towards Russia

Nevertheless, the bloc remains divided over whether to expand those sanctions to energy imports, despite mounting evidence of war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine.

Ukraine’s top prosecutor has spoken that 410 bodies had been discovered in towns recaptured from retreating Russian forces near Kyiv as part of an investigation into possible war crimes. Over the weekend, various international media organizations registered the mass killings of civilians in the town of Bucha, a Ukrainian city close to the country’s capital of Kyiv, which had been under Russian occupation until recently.

The reports directed numerous calls from within the European Union for the bloc to penalize Moscow for its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The bloc is now working on the fifth package of sanctions against Russia, with the new round of measures anticipated to be approved later this week.

Sanctions might change talks

Two EU officials, who did not want to be named because of the sensitive nature of the talks, told CNBC that a proposal for the next sanctions package includes airplane leasing, steel products, luxury goods, and jet fuel. Both sources added that the box is still a work in progress and could change as talks continue in the coming days of Wednesday’s crucial EU ambassadors meeting.

One of the officials counted that obviously, a significant component is missing in the lack of measures on the Russian energy sector.

Imposing an immediate ban on Russian gas, oil, or even coal has been a massive discussion within the EU since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. While some nations support banning Russian energy, other EU countries dispute that they are too dependent on Russian energy, which would harm their economies more than Russia’s.