“At the end, we will have an agreement” of the Twenty-Seven to impose an embargo on Russian oil, affirmed Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Monday May 30 on franceinfo. A European summit is due to take place on Monday and Tuesday over the war in Ukraine.
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To reach this agreement, one of the solutions could be to prohibit only oil imports by boat. “Let’s be pragmatic: the important thing is to find an agreement that brings everyone together”he said.
franceinfo: Are we heading towards a failure of the Twenty-Seven to find an agreement?
Joseph Borrell: No, I do not think so. At the end, we will have an agreement. We must take into account the circumstances of each and decide unanimously. There were negotiations all Sunday afternoon and Monday morning. We will continue to work. I think that Monday afternoon, we will be able to offer the Heads of State and Government an agreement.
One of the solutions would be to prohibit only oil imports by boat. Is this the solution that will make it possible to bring together unanimity?
Yes. Let’s be pragmatic: landlocked countries like Hungary, the Czech Republic or Slovakia represent 7 to 8% of Russian oil imports. It is therefore obvious that they have particular difficulties. We must then move forward, looking for solutions, giving them more time to adapt. What does 7%, 93% or 100% mean? The important thing is to find an agreement that unites everyone.
LIVE – Europeans divided over an embargo on Russian oil ➡️ “At the end, we will have an agreement”, assures Josep Borrell, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs. Prohibit only imports by boat? “The important thing is to find an agreement.” pic.twitter.com/cMgoYDgNrl
— franceinfo (@franceinfo) May 30, 2022
Since the start of the conflict, hardly any wheat has left Ukraine, mainly because of the blockade imposed by Russia. Does Vladimir Putin use wheat as a weapon of war?
Obviously, he uses wheat as a weapon of war. There are 20 million tonnes of wheat stored in Ukraine and they should be exported. It should be taken to where people consume it. In addition, space must be made in storage for the next harvest. Otherwise, we won’t know where to put it. We have to find an alternative way to the sea route, but it’s very difficult. We are working on it, but the possibility of bringing the 20 million tonnes to a port in the Black Sea, in Romania and Bulgaria, in the Baltic States, by rail, is a trickle.
To avoid a shortage, India banned wheat exports. Could Europe do the same?
On the contrary, we do not have this problem of rarity. European producers have been told, “produce as much as you can, no more production limits!” Now we are in the process of setting up the production. But, fortunately for us, we are not the ones facing a shortage.