EU Backs Russian Sanctions Package With Concession to Slovakia
- Includes extending exemption for Slovak use of Russian oil
- Bloc targets Chinese, other entities helping Russian military
An oil storage tank at the Mol-Slofnaft refinery in Bratislava, Slovakia.
Photographer: Zuzana Gogova/Getty Images
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The European Union gave preliminary backing to a 15th package of sanctions against Russia that includes an extension of an exemption for Slovakia to trade petroleum products derived from Russian oil through early June.
The bloc is trying to phase out Russian energy imports, but this exemption will allow Mol-Slovnaft to export motor fuels made out of Russian oil to the Czech Republic, according to people familiar with the matter.