Polish PM demands Russia should be deprived of oil revenues
Mateusz Morawiecki, the Polish prime minister, has said that the sixth package of sanctions against Russia must include Poland's proposals to cut Russia off financially by targeting its oil exports.
Morawiecki made the call before the beginning of an EU summit in Brussels on Monday.
"The sixth package of sanctions, which we are going to debate today, must also include Poland's most far-reaching demands, namely, depriving Russia of its oil income because that is what makes it possible for it to continue its war against Ukraine," the prime minister said.
"That's why Poland demands that crude oil should be included in the sixth package of sanctions," he added.
The latest sanctions package on Russia was announced on May 4, but divisions over whether to target Russian oil are exposing the limits of how far the bloc can go to help Ukraine.
When European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed the package, the initial aim was to phase out imports of crude oil within six months and refined products by the end of the year.
Referring to the war, Morawiecki said that "soon, Ukraine will have defended itself for 100 days."
"We have to ask ourselves whether we have done everything to make this war end as soon as possible, and end it with Ukraine's victory," he said.
"Let us stop buying crude oil from Russia - this is our fundamental postulate," Morawiecki stated.
Admitting that there were countries which had no access to ports and had to transport crude oil through pipelines, Morawiecki said that there were option available.
"We have special solutions for these countries, but if they, including Hungary, will not accept them, Poland will demand that a special price compensation mechanism should be introduced," he went on to say.
According to Morawiecki, this mechanism will make it impossible for a country buying Russian oil to benefit from competitive oil prices in a situation when other countries are deprived of such a possibility.
"I still believe that we will be able to reach a consensus during the EU summit," Morawiecki went on to say.
"This is necessary to make Putin see that we all are united, that we are determined to end this war as soon as possible so that Ukraine can survive as a free, sovereign and independent country," Morawiecki concluded. (PAP)
