Greece, Cyprus and Malta have rejected a Commission proposal to ban the transfer of Russian oil from vessels flying the flag of a European Union member state to third countries as part of the sixth package of sanctions for the invasion of Ukraine, a report by the news website Politico reiterated on Monday.
The latest edition of the website's daily newsletter says the three countries rejected the proposal "due to concerns that their shipowners would lose out to their competitors and their economies would be affected."
Recall that the sixth package of sanctions includes a gradual embargo on the import of crude and refined oil from Russia, both by land pipelines and tankers by sea.
In addition to Hungary's well-known objection to the ban on importing oil by pipeline (the country cites its dependence on Russian pipelines as it has no access to the sea), Greece, Cyprus and Malta have also reportedly requested a longer transition period regarding the ban on importing oil by sea, without objecting to the ban itself.
However, the three countries are reportedly objecting to a ban on the transport of Russian oil by EU-flagged vessels to third countries, arguing that their own economies will be affected while these shipments will be made by competing companies and flags of other countries.
On Friday, Oleg Ustenko, economic adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, had told Politico that "politicians on the EU side talk about money and we talk about lives."
The publication also cited estimates by the anti-corruption NGO Global Witness that at least 150 million barrels of crude oil were transported between February 24, the day the invasion began, and May 10 on vessels owned, managed or flagged by Greece, Cyprus or Malta.
The same publication also included a statement by President Anastasiades after his meeting with the Greek Prime Minister on May 6, in which Anastasiades stated that Cyprus supports sanctions against Russia, adding that sanctions "should be targeted and not be selective and serve some of the states and leave some other states exposed."
Source: CNA
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