European Union countries are sending more money to Russia for fuel than they are to Ukraine for defense.
The bloc has paid $38 billion to Russia for fuel, roughly 35 times the $1.09 billion it has given to Ukraine since Russia invaded the country in February, said Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief.
“We have to help [the Ukrainians] defend themselves,” Borrell said. “We have given Ukraine 1 billion euros. It might seem a lot, but 1 billion euros is what we pay Putin every day for the energy he provides us.”
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Western countries have placed punishing sanctions on Russia in a bid to curb Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggressive moves, though many have been hesitant to include oil and gas exports. Crude oil is Russia’s largest export, and most of it goes to Europe and China.
While the EU as a whole has been slow to adopt fuel sanctions, earlier this week Lithuania became the first member country to turn off the taps from Russia.
“Seeking full energy independence from Russian gas, in response to Russia’s energy blackmail in Europe and the war in Ukraine, Lithuania has completely abandoned Russian gas,” Lithuania’s Energy Ministry said in a statement.
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The EU is considering a new round of sanctions on Wednesday that will target Russian coal exports but does not address other fuels.
