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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 31 May 2022
EU leaders, divided over Russia oil embargo, spy a solution

By LORNE COOK and SAM- possible compromise of hit-
UEL PETREQUIN ting sea-transported Rus-
Associated Press sian oil is that countries like
BRUSSELS (AP) — European Belgium, Germany and the
Union leaders gathered Netherlands that are most
Monday in a new show of reliant on that form would
solidarity with Ukraine, but suffer a surge in oil prices,
divisions over whether to distorting competition be-
target Russian oil in a new cause Hungary would still
series of sanctions exposed be purchasing cheaper
the limits of how far the bloc Russian oil.
can go to help the war-torn Orban said “the pipeline
country. solution is not bad. It’s a
Ukrainian President Volody- good approach. But we
myr Zelenskyy addressed need the guarantee that
the bloc’s 27 leaders by vid- in the case of an accident
eo in a 10 minute-message with the pipeline rushing
and urged them to remain through Ukraine, we have
united and quickly adopt a to have the right to get Rus-
new package of measures sian oil from other sources.”
to stop the Kremlin’s “war German Chancellor Olaf
machine,” according to a Scholz left open the pos-
senior EU diplomat. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte arrives for the extraordinary meeting of EU leaders to discuss sibility of an EU agreement
Ukraine, energy and food security at the Europa building in Brussels, Monday, May 30, 2022.
Zelenskyy has repeatedly Associated Press being struck at the summit,
demanded that the EU calling talks on the matter
target Russia’s lucrative enskyy reminded leaders A meeting of ambassa- in Ukraine. The bloc has “good and constructive”
energy sector and de- of the atrocities going on dors just before the summit targeted more than 1,000 and saying the bloc is de-
prive Moscow of billions of in his country, including the spurred some hope that people, including Russian termined to remain united.
dollars each day in sup- death of civilians and chil- a compromise could be President Vladimir Putin “Everything that I hear
ply payments. The EU gets dren, telling them “it is cru- reached. and top government offi- makes it sound as if a con-
about 40% of its natural gas cial that sanctions are ad- According to several dip- cials, as well as pro-Kremlin sensus could be reached
and 25% of its oil from Rus- opted as soon as possible.” lomats, leaders will try to oligarchs, banks, the coal and, sooner or later, it will
sia, and Ukraine says those But finding an agreement reach a deal for an EU em- sector and more. be,” Scholz told reporters.
energy imports are funding on an EU oil embargo has bargo on Russian seaborne A sixth package of sanc- Von der Leyen all but
Russia’s war on its neighbor. so far proved to be a tall oil by the end of the year tions against Russia was ruled out the prospect of a
But Hungary is leading a order. that would cover more announced on May 4, but breakthrough at this week’s
group of EU countries along Hungarian Prime Minister than two-third of oil imports the holdup over oil is em- summit, saying as she ar-
with Slovakia, the Czech Viktor Orban was adamant from Russia. barrassing the bloc, which rived “my expectations are
Republic and Bulgaria that upon his arrival in Brussels Orban said he is ready to has been forced to scale low that it will be solved in
rely heavily on Russian oil that a deal was not in sight, support the sixth round of down its ambitions. When the next 48 hours.”
and can’t afford to take while Czech Prime Minister sanctions if Hungary’s secu- European Commission Latvian Prime Minister Kris-
such steps. Hungary gets Petr Fiala suggested that rity of oil supplies is guaran- President Ursula von der janis Karins urged his EU
more than 60% of its oil from delaying oil sanctions on teed. Hungary and Slova- Leyen proposed the pack- counterparts to get over
Russia and 85% of its natural Russia could be a solution. kia depend on Russian oil age, the initial aim was to their differences on oil, say-
gas. “We’re ready to get rid of that comes through the So- phase out imports of crude ing that member countries
According to the diplomat, our dependence on Rus- viet-era Druzhba pipeline. oil within six months and re- are “getting a little bogged
who spoke on condition of sia’s energy sources … but The EU has already im- fined products by the end down in all of the details
anonymity because of the we’re not able to do it in a posed five rounds of sanc- of the year. and we’re forgetting the
sensitivity of the issue, Zel- short term,” Fiala said. tions on Russia over its war The problem with the new big picture.”q

Japan complains over Seoul marine survey in disputed waters

By YURI KAGEYAMA Matsuno said Tokyo did Korea after the official web-
Associated Press not receive any prior re- site for the Pyeongchang
TOKYO (AP) — Japan quest from Seoul for such Olympic Games referred to
lodged a complaint Mon- research. the islands as Dokdo.
day over a South Korean “We strongly demand this Japan and South Korea
ship that was conducting stop immediately,” he said. have rich cultural ties,
a marine survey in waters He said the two sides held but relations have been
near Japanese-claimed is- talks about the incident but marred by bitter tensions
lands controlled by Seoul. both reiterated their previ- over historical issues such
Government spokesper- ous claims to the territory. as Japan’s colonization of
son Hirokazu Matsuno said In Seoul, South Korea’s For- the Korean Peninsula last
it was “totally unaccept- eign Ministry said it can- century and its actions dur-
able” that a South Korean not accept the Japanese ing World War II.
research ship was spotted complaint. It called the sur- Japan also has a dispute
trailing what appeared vey a legitimate act con- over Japanese-controlled
to be a cable near the is- ducted in line with domes- islands in the East China
Islands called Dokdo in Korean and Takeshima in Japanese are lands, which Japan calls tic and international law. Sea that it calls Senkaku,
observed during a Korean Air Airbus A380 demonstration flight Takeshima and South Ko- In 2017, Japan lodged a which China also claims
on June 16, 2011.
Associated Press rea calls Dokdo. complaint against South and calls Diaoyu.q