BERLIN, Sept 24 (The African Portal) – Germany said that US President Donald Trump’s remarks about supporting Ukraine in retaking land occupied by Russia had fuelled hopes of further increasing pressure on Moscow.
At a regular government press conference, spokesperson Stefan Kornelius said that Trump’s statements align with the German government’s political goals “to keep up the pressure on the aggressor Russia and to increasingly isolate Russia.”
“These statements give us reason to hope that we can now discuss this issue more intensively and maintain the necessary pressure on Russia,” he added.EU to propose higher tariffs on Russian oil in ‘due course’
The European Commission will propose higher import tariffs on Russian oil in “due course,” according to a Commission spokesperson who was quoted by Reuters news agency.
Hungary and Slovakia, both EU member states, import around 200,000–250,000 barrels of Russian oil per day. This accounts for approximately 3% of the EU’s total oil demand.
Last week, US President Donald Trump published a letter accusing NATO member states of weakening the alliance’s negotiating position and bargaining power regarding Russia’s war in Ukraine by continuing to purchase Russian oil and gas.
Trump vowed that the US would impose “major sanctions” on Russia once all NATO countries had ceased such purchases.
For years, the European Commission has been trying to persuade the governments of Hungary and Slovakia to diversify their energy sources beyond those from Russia.
Progress has been slow due to these governments’ insistence on keeping costs low and their reliance on existing infrastructure.
Credit: DW
