EU should consider 'full trade embargo' on Russia, Estonian president says
The European Union should stop importing Russian energy products and "seriously consider" a complete trade embargo against Russia, Estonian President Alar Karis said on Feb. 9.
Karis' statement comes a day after the Baltic states Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania disconnected their energy systems from Russia's power grid, marking a historica shift away from Russian energy dependence and toward European integration.
"European Union should boost independence even further and end all Russian energy imports to the EU," Karis said in a post on X Feb. 9.
"We should even seriously consider a full trade embargo on Russia."
In the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, European countries took measures to significantly reduce their dependence on Russian energy products. The EU cut all Russian coal imports, most Russian oil imports, and over two-thirds of Russian gasimports to the EU, a Commission spokesperson said earlier in January.
The EU aims to eliminate all Russian fossil fuels from its market by 2027.
Energy exports help fuel Moscow's all-out war in Ukraine, leading to calls among Kyiv's allies to phase out the purchases completely.
Estonia has ranked among Ukraine's staunchest supporters since the start of the full-scale invasion, offering humanitarian, developmental, and military assistance. Estonia has also pushed for harsher sanctions against Russia, including complete economic isolation.
Ukraine imposed a full trade embargo on Russia in April 2022.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
