The High Representative for Foreign Policy and Common Security of the European Union, Josep Borrell, has assured this Saturday that international sanctions against Russia are "taking effect" and has called for "strategic patience" on the resulting energy crisis.
"Sanctions require strategic patience because it can take a long time for them to have the desired effect," Borrell explained in his personal blog in a text, according to media reports.
Brussels has adopted six packages of sanctions against Moscow, targeting nearly 1200 people and almost 100 entities in Russia.
Borrell defended that sanctions, including restrictions on the purchase of Russian oil, "remain an important instrument of political action."
The EU's top diplomat acknowledged that "Russia can sell its oil to other markets but this benefit is limited by the fact that Russia is forced to offer large discounts for each barrel," before indicating that this restriction "frees Europe from its energy dependence on Russia", an issue long on the table in Brussels.
KI/PR
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