Politico reported that European Union (EU) officials are planning to target new Russian exports - including fossil fuels - to curb Moscow's cash flow after two years of ineffective sanctions against Russia.
Notably, the discussed methods will allow the EU to target various Russian exports - including fossil fuels - without requiring the consensus of all EU members as usual.
In recent times, Hungary has repeatedly opposed the EU's more drastic actions towards Russia, hindering efforts to sanction Russian oil and gas, saying this would increase prices for Europeans.
An EU diplomat said the countries have "squeezed Hungary" and its reluctance to trade sanctions, so they are exploring tactics that could completely avoid the Hungary barrier.
One option being discussed is the imposition of tariffs, not sanctions on many Russian exports.
Unlike sanctions, tariffs do not require consensus because they are part of trade policy. Sanctions are considered a security policy, meaning they need to be approved by all EU countries.
Sweden has made the move, calling the tariffs the next reasonable step, and to supplement the EUs existing sanctions.
EU trade union commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis confirmed the European Commission is studying the idea, saying Brussels would consider "more widely applying tariffs on imports from Russia".
He did not specify which Russian products may face tariffs. In theory, even fuel or nuclear services could become targets. Another EU diplomat told Politico that the focus is now on attacking Russian agricultural and food exports.
tariffs are not the only way the EU wants to use to eliminate Russia's war funds. EU Energy Ministers also discussed the proposal to establish a high-level working group led by the European Commission to reduce the EUs remaining dependence on Moscows imports of fossil fuels.
The EU has proposed a strategy to phase out Russian fossil fuels by 2027 in a program called RE PowerEU. Since then, countries have reduced their dependence on Russia for gas by about two-thirds and banned oil imports by sea.
But countries such as Hungary, Slovakia and Austria still rely heavily on Russian pipeline gas, while EU countries have increased imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG).
The Belgian Energy Minister said the idea of the working group had received support from 12 EU countries. No one objected - including Hungary. She added that Belgium - the country where the EU is currently holding a policy debate between countries on the issue next month.
