Photo: Ursula von der Leyen / EPA

The European Union is considering speeding up the phase-out of Russian fossil fuels as part of the 19th package of sanctions against Russia. This was stated by the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, writes Reuters.

According to her, the next package of EU sanctions may include restrictions against the "shadow" fleet of the Russian Federation and third countries, as well as a faster phase-out of Russian fossil fuels.

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The EU has already banned imports of crude Russian oil by sea, which accounts for more than 90% of oil imports from Russia, and introduced a dynamic price ceiling.

In addition, the bloc is currently negotiating legal proposals to completely stop importing oil and gas from Russia by January 1, 2028, and to terminate short-term contracts starting next year.

The new package of sanctions could accelerate this process, but Hungary and Slovakia, which are dependent on Russian energy, are opposed to this step because it will cause a price spike.

Currently, these two countries import about 200-250,000 barrels of Russian oil per day (about 3% of EU demand).

Europe is also expected to buy about 13% of gas from Russia this year, compared to 45% before the outbreak of the full-scale war.