Russia-Ukraine Crisis: Poland Calls for Sanctions Against Russia on Gas Purchase

“We will call for immediate sanctions on Russian oil and gas," Polish Climate and Environment Minister, Anna Moskwa says.

Poland has urged its European Union partners to unite and impose sweeping sanctions on Russia’s oil and natural gas sectors over the war in Ukraine, and not to cave in to pressure to pay for their gas in Russian rubles.

The appeal came as EU ministers met in Brussels to discuss their response to Russia’s decision last week to cut gas supplies to Bulgaria and Poland. Energy giant Gazprom says the two countries failed to pay their bills in April.

“We will call for immediate sanctions on Russian oil and gas. This is the next, and urgent, and absolute step,” Polish Climate and Environment Minister Anna Moskwa said. “We already have coal. Now it’s time for oil, and (the) second step is for gas. The best option is to take them altogether.”

The EU has hit Russian officials, oligarchs, banks, companies, and other organizations with rafts of sanctions since Moscow ordered an invasion of Ukraine in February. The commission is working on the sixth round of measures, possibly including oil restrictions, and could announce them this week.