EU passes symbolic vote to ban Russia energy imports

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The European Parliament passed Thursday a symbolic vote to impose a ban on Russian energy imports into the 27-nation bloc as Moscow grapples with several rounds of harsh sanctions imposed by Brussels and Washington.

The vote came down to 513 in favor, 22 against, and 19 abstentions over an "immediate" ban on Russian coal, gas, oil, and nuclear fuel.

Though the motion was nonbinding, only symbolic, Parliament speaker Roberta Metsola described the step as a "very important moment" that sent the "strongest messages" to Ukraine on how much the bloc supports it.

It is worth mentioning that Brussels has been providing Kiev with arms to bolster its defenses amid the ongoing war.

Ukraine has been very vocal about wanting more support from Brussels and Washington alike, urging its Western allies to give more "offensive" weapons rather that the "defensive" ones they have been sending.

Discussions are ongoing between EU member states' ambassadors on adopting a proposal in the European Commission to sanction Russian coal among other measures against Moscow.

Several states wanted to go all the way and ban Russian oil; however, as many are heavily reliant on Russian energy supplies, and their economies would be paralyzed without them, the measure was met with resistance.

The pivotal role of Russian energy was more than observable in 2021 when the federation supplied 45% of the EU's coal imports, 25% of its oil imports, and around 45% of its gas imports.

The European Union is the biggest customer for Russian hydrocarbons, which are also Russia's most important exports, with economic experts expecting the nation to earn some $321 billion from energy exports in 2022.

EU purchases of Russian fossil fuels have gained Moscow $38 billion since Russian troops set foot in Ukraine on February 24, the bloc's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, told the European Parliament on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Brussels allocated less than $1.1 billion for arms supplies to Kiev.

The EU resolution also demanded an increase in weapons deliveries to Ukraine, which is a fulfillment of Kiev's aforementioned request.

The West as a whole, and the US specifically, have been providing arms to Ukraine even before the war started. The Pentagon announced Friday it was giving out a package of arms worth some $300 million to Ukraine. The defense body detailed that the package would include military equipment ranging from laser-guided rocket systems to armored Humvees and drones.

Washington in February permitted sending $350 million worth of military aid to Ukraine, which is the largest arms package in US history.

Russia had launched a special military operation in Ukraine due to NATO's eastward expansion, the Ukrainian shelling of Donbass, and the killing of the people of the Donetsk People's Republic and Lugansk People's Republic, in addition to Moscow wanting to "denazify" and demilitarize Ukraine.

In response, the US and its allies have rolled out comprehensive sanctions, including restrictions on the Russian central bank, export control measures, SWIFT cutoff for select banks, and closure of airspace to all Russian flights. Many of their companies have suspended their Russian operations.