The EU has been arguing about a possible embargo on Russian oil for weeks. Now the heads of state and government have found a compromise: the ban on oil imports into EU countries initially applies to Russian crude oil that is delivered by ship.

Watch the video: EU countries decide on oil embargo against Russia.

The member states of the European Union have agreed on a far-reaching embargo on oil imports from Russia. The ban on oil imports into EU countries initially applies to Russian crude oil that is delivered by ship. The EU thus agreed on a temporary exemption from the import ban for Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, which are dependent on oil supplies through the Druzhba pipeline. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the decision: “Well, the rest is about 10 or 11 percent that will be covered by the southern Druzhba pipeline. And indeed we have agreed here that that will be exempted for the moment. We agreed that the Council will come back to the issue in one way or another as soon as possible, so this is an issue we still need to work on, but what we have done today is a big step forward.” Chancellor Olaf Scholz also welcomed the decision. “The EU agrees,” said Scholz on Twitter. In addition, the EU states decided to exclude the largest Russian financial institution Sberbank from the Swift payment system and to revoke the broadcasting license of three other Russian state media. Hungary in particular had prevented an EU agreement on what is now the sixth package of sanctions against Russia due to its country’s great dependence on Russian oil.