EU fails to agree on oil embargo against Russia

For more than three weeks now, EU countries have been unable to reach a compromise on the sixth package of sanctions against Russia. It, according to the idea of the European Commission, should include an oil embargo. A ban on imports of Russian crude oil is proposed to be introduced six months after the entry into force of the sixth package. However, a number of countries, including Hungary, strongly oppose Brussels' bold plan. Budapest rightly warns that the damage from the embargo would be catastrophic for the economy of Europe.

Viktor Orban, Prime Minister of Hungary:

“The problem is that we are in a very difficult situation. Mainly because of the irresponsible actions of the European Commission.”

The Versailles Consensus implied that the European Commission would not propose sanctions in the energy sector unless they had been properly agreed beforehand by the EU member states. The Prime Minister said the idea has now emerged that joining sanctions is a matter of loyalty, with no consideration for the security of Hungary's energy supply. "The responsibility for the fact that no agreement was reached today lies on the shoulders of the commission," Viktor Orban summed up.