Today, May 30, a meeting of EU diplomats is underway to discuss the sixth package of sanctions against russia. EU leaders will meet on the same day to discuss the issue and to avoid a display of disunity over the bloc's response to the war in Ukraine.
EU High Representative Josep Borrell is convinced that an agreement on the oil embargo can still be reached, despite the resistance of several Eastern European countries, writes Reuters.
The summit of EU leaders will last for two days in Brussels.
"I think we will be able to present the agreement to the heads of state this afternoon," Borrell told France Info.
Yesterday, the Europeans failed to agree on a proposal to ban the supply of russian oil to the European Union by sea, but to allow supplies through the Druzhba pipeline. This proposal came because of landlocked Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
Hungary claims that giving up russian oil will cost it too much. EU countries have been trying to agree on an embargo from May 4 until now. After the presentation of the sixth package of sanctions, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán insisted that such issues should be resolved only at meetings of EU leaders. This meeting begins today.
The initial embargo plan called for a waiver of russian oil and pipeline imports.