The West tightens the bracelet of the Russian embargo

Moscow [Russia], May 18: Europe is moving towards cutting off imports of Russian energy products while the US has just moved to ban the import of nuclear fuel from Moscow.
Avoiding the embargo?
EU High Commissioner for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell is calling on the union to block fuel products refined by India from Russian crude.
In an interview with the Financial Times on May 16, Borrell said that Indian refiners are benefiting from buying large quantities of Russian crude at a discount and processing it into fuel before selling it on the market. Europe.
"If the diesel or gasoline imported into Europe from India is produced from Russian oil, it is certainly an act of circumvention and EU member states must take action," Borrell said. However, the Financial Times cited EU sanctions as saying that Russian crude oil, after being refined in another country, is no longer considered a product of Russia.
During the nearly 15 months since Russia launched a military campaign in Ukraine, the US and Europe have launched a series of sanctions on the Russian economy to cut off the financial resources that the country uses for the conflict. Sanctions have taken a toll on the Russian economy. According to European Council data, Russia's GDP in 2022 fell 2.1% from a year ago while Russia's oil revenue fell by more than 26% in January 2023 (compared to January 2022) and in February down more than 41%.
Similar to oil, Reuters yesterday cited official data showing that Germany's exports to countries bordering Russia spiked in the first quarter, raising concerns that those goods could be sold back to Russia in order to increase sales. help Moscow dodge the embargo. Specifically, German exports to Kyrgyzstan increased by 949% in the first quarter, to Armenia by 172%, to Kazakhstan by 136%, to Tajikistan by 154%, to Georgia by 92% and to Turkey by nearly 37%.
G7 leaders are expected to discuss tightening sanctions on Russia at a meeting from May 19 in Japan, including preventing sanctions evasion involving third countries. The EU is also negotiating a package of 11 sanctions on Russia, focusing on individuals and countries that circumvent existing trade restrictions.
LNG and uranium
With the ban on imports of crude oil and petroleum products, and reducing the import of gas through pipelines from Russia, the EU now continues to consider limiting Russia's energy export revenue through a gas import ban. liquefied natural gas (LNG). Spanish Energy Minister Teresa Ribera said on May 16 that the EU will soon introduce a ban on LNG imports from Russia.
Meanwhile in the US, the House Energy, Climate and Grid Security Subcommittee yesterday passed a bill banning the import of uranium from Russia, a nuclear fuel product that has not been subject to sanctions. According to Reuters, the US will import about 14% of uranium from Russia in 2021, while domestic sources only supply about 5%. The bill includes an exemption allowing the United States to import low-enriched uranium from Russia if the Energy Secretary determines that there are no other sources to supply nuclear reactors, or the import is in the interest of Russia. national interest.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper