German, British FMs urge more sanctions on Russia

WARSAW: The top diplomats of Britain and Germany pressed on Tuesday for more sanctions on Moscow over its war in Ukraine, after President Donald Trump announced an easing of US sanctions on Russian diesel. 'I would say this is not the time to lower the sanctions regime but to strengthen this,' German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said during an event at the Warsaw Security Forum (WSF). Ukraine and its European backers have been left reeling by Trump's decision last week to lift sanctions on Russian diesel as part of a deal to supply the United States.
The European Union formally added nearly 1,600 new Russian individuals and entities to its sanctions blacklist, with the aim of keeping pressure on Moscow. 'We are keeping our course,' Wadephul insisted, stressing that Europe was asking Washington to do the same. Trump's decision enables Russia to release large amounts of diesel onto global energy markets.
UK Foreign Minister Ed Miliband hailed the latest EU move and insisted on the need to 'ratchet up the sanctions' further. 'We need to send the right message,' he told the WSF. While criticising Trump's decision to lift sanctions on Russian diesel, Ukraine's Western allies have all backed his unilateral declaration of a pause in attacks targeting the energy sector.
Russia has launched waves of attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure since attacking in February 2022, knocking out power and heating to millions during winter months. Kyiv has, in turn, targeted Russian oil refineries. 'Let us take seriously this issue of the energy ceasefire that President Trump has talked about,' Miliband said. He insisted, though, that it should not just be about oil refineries but 'a broad energy ceasefire'.
Ukraine has only one oil refinery, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday.
'Last week alone we've seen 200 Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure,' Miliband continued. 'Let us seek with President Trump to hold (Russian President Vladimir) Putin to this full energy ceasefire because that is what we need,' he said, highlighting that Zelensky had agreed to the idea. Wadephul also urged support for a full energy ceasefire, suggesting it should be broadened to cover attacks in the Black Sea. Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II is nearing its fifth anniversary.
The EU sought on Tuesday to downplay its reliance on Russian fossil fuel imports after Moscow boasted of its sales, seizing upon the controversy sparked by a US decision to buy Russian diesel. The European Commission responded by providing a lower figure and stressing that the 27-nation bloc was working towards ending all Russian gas imports by the end of 2027. 'We are in this for the long term and that trend is very clear,' commission spokeswoman Anna-Kaisa Itkonen told a press conference in Brussels.
The rebuke did not go down well in Washington, where the administration of US President Donald Trump is seeking to bring down soaring fuel prices ahead of key midterm elections in November. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday accused European nations of 'hypocrisy'. The European Union has taken significant steps to reduce its longstanding dependence on Russian pipeline gas and sap Moscow's war chest since 2022.
Finland's Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said on Tuesday that Trump's agreement for Russia to release large amounts of diesel onto world markets was a 'huge disappointment'. Orpo told reporters that a 'direct deal with Putin' was 'against everything we have done together and together with the United States through the coalition of the willing and in supporting Ukraine.' He added that such a deal 'funds Putin's war' against Ukraine. The Finnish prime minister urged Europe and Ukraine's supporters to 'say this forcefully to Trump'. 'Continuing support for Ukraine is now more essential than ever,' he added. — AFP