Eastern EU states refuse to join ban on Moscow oil imports

EUROPEAN Union countries blocking a ban on imports of Russia oil were last night denounced by Ukraine as complicit in war crimes.

The European Commission yesterday unveiled plans to target Moscow by phasing out supplies over the next six months.

But a number of member states including Hungary and Slovakia demanded exemptions, saying they would not have enough time to adapt.

The US and Britain have already announced their own bans on Russian oil imports.

Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said: ‘If there is any country in Europe who will continue to oppose the embargo on Russian oil, there will be good reason to say, this country is complicit in the crimes committed by Russia in the territory of Ukraine.’

Commission president Ursula von der Leyen put forward the

‘Doing business is morally corrupt’

ban on Russian oil imports as she appeared at the European Parliament yesterday.

‘Putin must pay a price, a high price, for his brutal aggression,’ she told MEPs. ‘Let us be clear, it will not be easy. Some member states are strongly dependent on Russian oil. But we simply have to work on it.’

The EU plans requires approval among all the bloc’s 27 states.

The row came as Liz Truss announced that Russian companies will be banned from using British-based accountancy and public relations firms under a fresh round of sanctions.

The measures will also see travel bans and asset freezes imposed on individuals linked to Russian broadcasters and newspapers, and sanctions against mainstream media organisations accused of spreading lies about the war. Miss Truss said: ‘Doing business with Putin’s regime is morally bankrupt.’