Brussels receives LNG from Russia. Obajtek immediately responded

– After more than a month of negotiations, EU countries agreed on Thursday to a 14th round of economic sanctions against Russia. The new restrictions are intended to block the Kremlin’s access to technology and limit its revenue from exports of energy raw materials. – European Commission President Ursula van der Leyen said on Thursday.

Ultimately, the new restrictions on Russia are to be approved by foreign ministers at a meeting in Luxembourg scheduled for June 24. The final form of the agreement between the member states will then be published.

The Election Commission had issued the 14th sanction earlier in May. He proposed that the EU ban ships carrying Russian goods that are highly profitable for the Kremlin from leaving European ports. This means, among other things: a ban on the re-export of Russian liquefied natural gas through EU ports. However, it does not consider limits on Russian LNG exports to Europe.

As confirmed by Polish Press Agency sources in the EU on Thursday, the agreed package includes, among others: restrictions on LNG import, investment and transfer in EU countries.

In turn, Politico wrote, “Thursday morning’s decision by EU diplomats comes after Germany and Hungary blocked the deal for weeks — albeit on different parts of the package.”

“These sanctions will not affect most Russian exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the EU. Instead, EU ports will be banned from reselling Russian LNG once it arrives, blocking funding for Russia’s planned LNG terminals in the Arctic and Baltic. – Portal explains.

The former president of Orlen, Daniel Obajtek, who was recently elected as a member of the European Parliament, commented on the X website about the decision on sanctions related to Russian LNG. “After weeks of negotiations and overcoming German opposition, the EU agreed to its first sanctions on Russian gas, covering the transshipment and resale of LNG. We were not naive, we did not wait for EU sanctions, we already cut Poland off from both Russian gas and Russian oil in 2023. – he said.

Let’s remember that after Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Poland decided not to sign a new, long-term contract for gas imported by pipeline from Russia. However, before the current agreement expired, Russia itself turned off the tap on Poland. Later, the European Union introduced restrictions on Russian gas via pipelines, but they did not apply to LNG.

The sanctions agreed by the European Union on Thursday also apply to exports of dual-use goods and technologies. (including third countries) could be used by Russia in the war against Ukraine. Exports of goods that contribute to the growth of Russian industry will also be difficult. The list of restrictions will be expanded. It will include more than 100 new individuals and organizations. In total, it will contain more than 2,200 items.

According to diplomatic sources, reservations about the 14th package of sanctions were raised by Germany, which feared that companies would be held more liable for sanctions violations.

Belgium, which holds the presidency, said the new package would “increase the impact of sanctions already in place by closing loopholes”.

The idea is to strengthen EU mechanisms to prevent violations of sanctions, especially in the case of third-country subsidiaries owned by companies in the EU. Tightening EU regulations also apply to financial services. – Many transportation activities are aimed at avoiding obstacles by air, road, sea – said an unofficial PAP source in the EU.

The EU wanted to adopt the new sanctions ahead of the G7 summit in Italy on June 13-14. The diplomats tried to reach an agreement the night before the start of a peace summit in Switzerland scheduled for June 15-16.

“This uncompromising package will make it even more difficult for Russia to access key technologies.” – On the UE von der Leyen X website, he expressed satisfaction with the agreement. “It will deprive Russia of more revenue from (export) energy. It will solve the problem of Putin’s shadow navy and parallel banking network abroad,” he stressed.