According to diplomats, Germany and France are pushing for EU sanctions against Russian oil giant Lukoil. Berlin and Paris have submitted a joint proposal as part of preparations for a possible 19th package of sanctions against Moscow, diplomatic circles in Brussels said on Monday. The proposal also considers sanctioning Lukoil's trading subsidiary Litasco.
In addition, Germany and France are also pushing for sanctions to be imposed on refineries in third countries that are involved in Russian oil exports to the EU. Companies that trade in Russian oil should also be sanctioned, according to Paris and Berlin, the diplomats reported. The countries also proposed punishing companies such as banks that help Moscow circumvent sanctions and cracking down on cryptocurrency transactions in Central Asia.
After the heaviest Russian air strike on Ukraine since the start of the war at the weekend, US President Donald Trump said he was prepared to impose further sanctions on Moscow. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent emphasized that the EU must follow suit. The EU's special representative for sanctions, David O'Sullivan, was due to discuss the issue with US government representatives in Washington on Monday.
The negotiations within the EU Commission for a 19th package of sanctions are still in their early stages, according to Brussels authorities. The final package would have to be approved by all 27 member states, as expected, Hungary's Kremlin-friendly government is unlikely to agree to it.
According to Brussels diplomats, the 19th package of sanctions could also target countries that buy gas and oil from Russia. Trump has already threatened to take action against such countries and has already imposed significant tariff surcharges on India for this reason. Within the EU, Hungary and Slovakia are particularly dependent on Russian oil.
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