Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the European Union’s hesitancy in imposing sanctions on energy imports from Russia, saying some leaders were more concerned with corporate losses than war crimes.
“I cannot tolerate any indecision after everything we have been through in Ukraine and everything the Russian troops have done,” Zelensky said in a videoconference address to the Irish parliament.
“While the whole world is aware of the crimes committed against our people, we still have to convince European companies to leave the Russian market, we have to convince foreign politicians to cut the links of Russian banks with the international financial system. , we have to convince Europe that Russian oil cannot finance the Russian war machine,” he argued.
“The only thing we need is a change of view from some leaders — political or business — who still think that war and war crimes are not as horrible as financial losses,” he added.
The European Union must apply a fifth round of sanctions against Russia that will cut coal imports from that country. In addition, NATO and G7 foreign ministers meet in Brussels to decide the next steps to be taken.
Pressure to cut ties with the Russian energy sector is growing in Europe after reports of massacres against civilians in Bucha and other parts of Ukraine.
Poland and the Baltic countries are pressing to take measures in this regard, but others such as Germany are reluctant due to the impact it may have on their own economies, which are highly dependent on Russian energy.
“I think that sooner or later measures will be necessary on oil and even on gas,” acknowledged the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, on Wednesday.
In his speech, Zelensky also accused Russia of relentlessly targeting civilian infrastructure and using “hunger as a weapon” through its bombing and siege tactics.
