Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte believes that boycotting Russian oil can be done “quite quickly”, but he doesn’t think it will have a major effect. 🤔
He addressed the House of Representatives, saying a boycott on Russian oil was an easy target, according to NU.nl.
International consultations
Rutte will travel to Brussels on Thursday for an EU and NATO summit to discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 🇪🇺
The EU has already imposed several sanction packages on Russia in the last three weeks but the summit intends to introduce more sanctions.
For example, the EU froze banks and assets of Russian rulers and oligarchs — but Dutch banks aren’t following suit. 💶
The Dutch House of Representatives also put forward a motion to boycott Russian oil in the Netherlands. If it fails, they would attempt to reduce Russian oil imports, which a majority of Dutch political parties agreed on. ✅
Imports somewhere else
In addition, some politicians suggest a gas boycott and the exclusion of Russian ships for European ports. Rutte says this is more complicated, as Europe relies on Russian gas imports even more than its oil. 🚢
He says oil is the easiest export to target but warns that it won’t have a big effect on the sanctions. Unlike gas, Russia could sell their oil to other countries, like India.
In the coming days, the EU must agree on a new sanctions package for Russia. The leaders agreed on previously sanctions packages fairly quickly — but as they approach the territory of oil, gas, and ports, Rutte says these require very careful consideration.
