According to the agency, the proposal was submitted to the European Commission last week. The sanctions list is recommended to include those refineries in third countries that are involved in the export of Russian oil to the EU and trading companies that work with Russian oil.
In addition, Germany and France called for tougher sanctions against banks and cryptocurrency exchanges in Central Asia.
The document says that oil and gas sales are a key source of Russia’s financing of its military actions in Ukraine.
EU officials said that the discussion of the 19th sanctions package was still at the initial stage and it was not yet known which proposals would make it into the final draft of the European Commission.
It should be noted that the sanctions will require the support of all 27 EU members, which may cause certain difficulties. Lukoil’s website lists among its foreign assets refineries in Romania and Bulgaria, as well as a 45% stake in a refinery in the Netherlands. For these countries, sanctions against the Russian company may also mean restriction of operations in their territories, which may increase economic and energy risks. Hungary, which is heavily dependent on Russian oil supplies, may also oppose Lukoil’s inclusion in the sanctions list.
