Did the head of the European Commission say that the EU was forced to purchase Russian oil so that Putin would not earn more in another place?

In early November 2024, Telegram channels distributed a paradoxical statement with which Ursula von der Layen allegedly recently made. We checked the reliability of such publications.

On November 7 and 8, the phrase “EU is forced to purchase Russian oil so that Putin does not earn anywhere else”, which was allegedly pronounced by the head of the European Commission, Ursula von Lyayen, diverged on November 7 and 8. In quote shared, in particular, channels Colonelcassad (2 million views at the time of writing this analysis), "The world today with "Yuri Podolyak""(1.5 million)," "The world of Mikhail Onufrienko"(223,000),"Observer"(205 000),"Uncle Glory"(191 000),"Russia now"(187 000),"Ivan Utenkov | Kursk"(141 000) and"Falcon"(119 000). Her also discussed V Facebook And X.

Until a full -scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, oil from the Russian Federation occupied about a third of European imports of this energy resource - data The European Bureau of Statistics (Eurostat), in the fourth quarter of 2021, the share reached 28%. Since the end of February 2022, Brussels gradually increasing The sanctions pressure on Moscow, introducing restrictions against individuals and legal entities, departments and companies, and later individual sectors of the economy. Already in March, some East European leaders Called At the EU colleagues, to refuse the purchase of energy resources from the Russian Federation and thereby stop indirectly financing the Russian military machine.

The attributed von der Lyen is a phrase on the reason why the EU continues to import Russian oil, distributed In social networks back in May 2022. A recent wave of such posts began with the publication in the Telegram channel Antiseptic (1600 views), posted on November 6 at 20:24 Moscow time without indicating that the alleged quote has been more than two years. The author attached a video to this publication in which the head of the European Commission is captured during the interview, while the MSNBC logo is noticeable on the dick in the lower part of the screen. 

American television channel Translated The recording of this conversation on May 23, 2022, it took place on the fields of the Global Citizen Now in New York. Answering the question of the journalist Mika Brezinsky about whether the continuing multi-million-dollar import of Russian energy resources is the effectiveness of the sanctions imposed on the war, von der Layen explains that Europe greatly depended on oil and gas from the Russian Federation and that time will take time. Further, the politician mentions the already adopted packages of sanctions against the Russian Federation, which is complemented by the initiative to develop green energy to replace Russian resources. Next, the interviewer asks if there is a chance to introduce a total embargo, to which the head of the European Commission declares (this moment was in an excerpt published by several Telegram channels): “We need to be careful. If we right now, from this very moment, will completely cut out [Russian] oil, perhaps he (Putin. - Approx. Ed.) Will be able to direct oil, which he does not sell to the European Union, to the world market where prices will increase and sell it more expensive. This will replenish his military budget. We must strategically approach this issue. That is why it is so important to unite the rest of the world in order to completely deprive it of its military budget. The full embargo will really take years. But over time, we will get rid of dependence on Russian fossil energy resources of all three types and will never return to it again. ”

Not only the question and the beginning of the response of von der Layen was removed from the video of the individual telegram channels, but also its words that the EU has already adopted the fifth package of sanctions against Russia and is preparing to accept the sixth (by the fall of 2024 there are them It was accepted already 14). In the fifth package agreed in April 2022, Entered The ban on the purchase and transit of Russian coal, the approval of the sixth in early June Provided Similar measures against raw oil (with the exception of pipeline) and some petroleum products from December 5, 2022 and from February 5, 2023, respectively. Earlier, some EU countries refused to buy these energy resources on their own initiative (for example, Lithuania), and others (for example, Poland And Germany) announced such plans.

By estimates von der Lyien, the sixth package of sanctions was supposed to reduce the supply of Russian oil to the EU by 90%. By the end of 2023, by data Eurostat, the share of the Russian Federation in the import of oil into the European Union fell from pre -war 28% to 3%. It was replaced by resources from other countries - during 2022, Brussels worked to diversify the paths of EU to energy. So, von der Layen signed Memorandum of energy cooperation with Azerbaijan and three -sided agreement With Egypt and Israel. Also were enlarged Deliveries From the USA, Norway and other countries. In December 2022, the European Union joined To the initiative of the "Big Seven" on the introduction price ceiling for Russian oil and oil products. It was assumed that this decision would help to avoid the situation that von der Layen spoke six months before in an interview with MSNBC. Nevertheless, as repeatedly wrote the media, Russia at least Going around These restrictions.

Thus, although in terms of meaning the viral quote corresponds to the statement of von der Lyain, the head of the European Commission uttered these words about two and a half years ago. Since then, the European Union has banned the acquisition of many Russian energy resources and, according to official figures, reduced the share of oil from the Russian Federation in its imports to almost zero.

Photo on the cover: EC - Audiovisual Service

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