French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire on Tuesday asked the European Union to prioritize a Russian oil embargo over a gas embargo.
“We are trying to convince our European partners to stop importing oil from Russia,” Le Maire told French Radio Europe 1. “What has been the primary source of currency for [Russian President] Vladimir Putin for several years? It is not gas. It is oil.”
Le Maire also admitted that not all EU member states, without naming them, are ready to give the green light to the ban. Accordingly, France will have to convince others to include the ban in the EU’s sixth sanctions package.
“We know very well that if we are not there today, it is not because France does not want it, it is because some European partners are still hesitant,” Le Maire said.
The French minister’s comments came after Russia announced the second phase of the war in eastern Ukraine with the intention of seizing the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.
Western leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council chief Charles Michel, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, and the leaders of Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Poland, Romania, and Canada will hold a videocall on April 19 to discuss the new offensive.
EU member states that are known to oppose the ban include Germany and Hungary.
