Failure to agree Russian oil embargo is costing Ukrainian lives, says Zelenskyy
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is grateful for Western sanctions but argues they don’t go far enough.
In his latest video address released early on Thursday, he called on Western politicians to agree quickly on an embargo of Russian oil, complaining that their failure to do so was costing Ukrainians their lives.
Zelenskyy said Moscow was making so much money from oil exports that it did not need to take peace talks seriously and called on the “democratic world” to shun Russian crude.
He said some politicians were “unable to decide how to limit the flow of petrodollars and oil euros to Russia so as not to put their own economies at risk”.
“The only question is how many more Ukrainian men, how many more Ukrainian women, the Russian military will have time to kill in order for you, certain politicians – and we know who you are – to find some determination,” he said.
The president also said he would continue to insist Russian banks be completely blocked from the international finance system.
The US announced new sanctions against Russia on Wednesday including a move to ban Russian oil imports. New UK measures include a pledge to end dependency on Russian coal and oil by the end of 2022.
EU member states are still trying to overcome their differences as they look to approve a fifth round of sanctions. The Commission has proposed a ban on coal imports and the closure of European ports to Russian ships.
“Measures on oil and even gas will also be needed sooner or later,” European Council President Charles Michel said on Wednesday.
Hungary, which has a close relationship with Vladimir Putin, is now the most reluctant country to impose sanctions on oil and gas.
(Euronews with Reuters)