France and Germany want the EU to widen sanctions on Russia to include major oil producers in addition to targeting third countries that keep Moscow’s oil flowing around the world, according to a position paper seen by Euractiv.
The European Commission has already announced it is considering adding more Russian banks and energy companies to its next sanctions package, the 19th to come since Moscow launched its all-out war on Ukraine back in 2022. A draft text for the next batch of sanctions is expected to be put forward in the coming days, according to EU diplomats.
According to the joint push by Paris and Berlin, the package should target major Russian energy players to rip into Moscow’s ability to fund-raise for its war.
“Additional steps should be considered, in particular listing oil majors such as Lukoil or Litasco, in order to put maximum pressure on Moscow’s capacity to export its oil,” the document states.
Lukoil, Russia’s second-largest oil company after Rosneft, has so far not yet been placed on the EU blacklist, mostly due to the dependence of some EU countries, such as Hungary and Slovakia, on its energy supplies.
The inclusion of further Russian energy companies would come alongside considerations for imposing secondary sanctions on third countries, further targeting Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” of oil tankers – key to sustaining its crude exports – as well as tighter curbs on importing other Russian goods.
In their joint paper, Paris and Berlin also call for extending the recently tightened oil price cap to European shippers handling Russian refined products that are exported to third countries. “The EU should be ready to target third state actors that are enablers of circumvention schemes by listing refineries responsible for exporting Russian oil to the EU,” the paper adds.
The move would be aimed at tightening global enforcement, with Brussels being tasked to “increase its outreach”, adding that “these measures should be taken in coordination with the United Kingdom and other G7+ partners”, the document states.
Over the past days, EU officials have been working to coordinate the next round of sanctions on Russia with the Trump administration.
An EU delegation met US counterparts in Washington earlier this week to align measures towards a “unified form of sanctions” specifically on energy, according to people familiar with the talks.
The recent push comes after US President Donald Trump had called out Europeans for failing to adequately reduce their reliance on Russian fossil fuels and targeting India, which is accused of aiding Moscow’s war efforts.
Over the past few weeks, EU officials have become more open to targeting entities based in China and India, in part due to growing pressure from Washington.
In their call, Paris and Berlin are also pressing for sanctions to reach deeper into the financial and logistical plumbing that keeps Moscow financially afloat. They advocate extending restrictions to Russian banks while keeping legitimate payment channels open, blacklisting foreign financial institutions tied to Russia’s own SPFS payments system, and matching US and UK action against crypto operators in Central Asia accused of laundering Russian capital.
Both France and Germany also urge the EU to consider new import bans or higher tariffs on Russian goods that remain unrestricted.
(jp)