Eight EU countries continue to import Russian gas, a European Commission spokesman announced today at a press conference in response to questions. He noted that the commission does not have data on how the imported quantities are used, BTA reported.
According to him, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Slovakia and Hungary are the countries on this list, with the last three importing quantities through the "Turkish Stream" gas pipeline. The spokesman explained that the eight countries import Russian gas through pipelines or through liquefied gas terminals.
Due to the war in Ukraine, the EU has imposed a ban on oil imports from Russia with some exceptions, the spokesman explained. Earlier this week, the EC said it was seeking to accelerate the end of imports of Russian fossil fuels.
The European Commission announced earlier that it had approved a proposal for new sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine today. In the afternoon, EC President Ursula von der Leyen and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaia Kalas will present the proposal, a spokesperson for the institution specified.
Earlier this week, the EC did not commit to a deadline for preparing the proposal. In recent days, Kalas expressed an expectation that the proposal would contain measures against Russian banks, energy companies and actions with cryptocurrencies.
The commission's proposal is subject to unanimous approval by the EU Council.