Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the Committee on International Affairs of the State Duma, or lower house of parliament, and leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), has slammed the upcoming 20th package of sanctions against Russia as a potential declaration of a “tanker war” and warned that it will cost its initiators dearly.
TASS reported on Saturday night, 21 February, that Leonid Slutsky said these sanctions will further marginalize Europe in global politics and exclude any possibility of the European Union’s participation in negotiations on the Ukrainian settlement. He noted that sober-minded politicians in the Old World, who are aware of the risks of a real confrontation, understand this perfectly well.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said earlier that on the 20th, a package of anti-Russian sanctions might be approved at the forthcoming meeting of foreign ministers of European Union member countries.
In its 20th sanctions package, the European Commission is developing a legal foundation to allow the interception of tankers with Russian oil, which raises serious concerns among several European Union countries regarding the risk of a military confrontation at sea, a source in Brussels diplomatic circles told TASS.
EU member states’ ambassadors have not yet reached a final agreement on approving the package.