EU still financing Russia’s war through energy purchases, top lawmaker says

European countries are continuing to help finance Russia’s war in Ukraine by purchasing Russian oil and gas, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola has acknowledged, describing the situation as “unacceptable.”

In an interview with Sky News, Metsola conceded that the European Union must do more to curb Moscow’s ability to fund its war, particularly by cracking down on Russia’s so-called shadow fleet.

“We still have to do more on the shadow fleet, with more vessels that need to be impounded,” she said.

Russia relies on a vast “shadow fleet” of aging and often obscurely registered tankers to transport large volumes of crude oil despite Western sanctions. While the EU has adopted 19 packages of sanctions against Moscow, Metsola stressed that further action is required.

“For us, any possibility for Russia to continue to wage its war against Ukraine and against Europe as a whole, by using funds that could inadvertently or overtly come from the European Union, is unacceptable,” she said.

Metsola noted that the EU has imposed measures aimed at preventing Russian gas from being purchased within the bloc or imported indirectly via third countries in alternative forms. She added that the EU is moving closer to banning Russian oil imports to the same extent.

Asked whether there is a concrete plan to seize vessels operating within Russia’s shadow fleet, she replied: “We have seen a lot of work, jointly, on this shadow fleet. It’s not solved yet. There are a lot of vessels that continue to operate.”

She said authorities have identified ships that rapidly change their flags and registration from one jurisdiction to another “in an illegal manner,” but admitted that enforcement efforts must accelerate.

“I think we are doing well, but we need to do better,” she said.

An investigation by Sky News tracked dozens of Russian tankers carrying sanctioned oil as they sailed between Britain and France. The vessels, transporting oil worth around $100 million (£74.1 million), passed through the English Channel despite Western restrictions.

Among the tankers monitored were the Rigel, the Hyperion and the Kousai, which were followed from the Gulf of Finland after loading oil at Russian Baltic ports. They were observed navigating the narrow Dover Straits as part of a shadow fleet estimated to include up to 800 vessels — a network that continues to sustain oil revenues financing the war in Ukraine.

This week marked the fourth anniversary of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Meanwhile, peace talks involving negotiators from Russia, Ukraine and the United States are taking place in Abu Dhabi.

By Vafa Guliyeva