Finnish PRIME MINISTER Sanna Marin (SDP) stated on YLE TV1 on Saturday that the EU must be prepared to pay a price to end the war and the European Union has yet to do enough in imposing sanctions against Russia.
Marin stated to the public broadcasting company that the 27-country bloc has to muster the ability to decide not only on a ban on coal imports but also on a long-overdue ban on oil and possibly natural gas imports from Russia.
Pay a price to end the war
Members of the European Union on Thursday reached an agreement on a new package of sanctions against Russia.
The fifth sanctions package is the first to target the energy sector, by prohibiting the purchase, import or transfer of coal and other solid fossil fuels that originate in or are exported from Russia.
Russia has accounted for nearly half (46.8%) of the eight billion euros worth of coal imported into the union.
While Finland is prepared to continue ramping up the sanctions, including against the energy sector, it is critical that such decisions are made jointly by the EU, underlined Marin.
“We’re well aware that Germany is very reliant on gas imported from Russia. We have to put our heads together to figure out how we can help Germany to wean itself off gas as soon as possible,” stated Marin.
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