The European Union is considering stricter sanctions and secondary tariffs, following the example of the United States, against Russia. This was stated by EU Foreign Affairs Commissioner Kaja Kallas in an interview with the “Tagesspiegel” (Monday edition).
The model for this is the current bill proposed by US Senator Lindsey Graham in Congress. This bill includes tariffs of up to 500 percent on imports from countries that import oil, gas and other critical goods from Russia. “We are already discussing in the Commission how we can implement this in the EU” said Kallas. “For peace, we need two parties, for war, only one. And Putin clearly wants war. We could achieve a breakthrough with significantly harsher sanctions.”
The sanctions against Nord Stream 1 and 2, which were proposed by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last Friday, are seen by Kallas as a precautionary measure to prevent the delivery of energy to Europe through this infrastructure. “Incredibly, we have recently observed some efforts from various sides that suggest work is being done to complete the pipeline. We must prepare ourselves against this.”
Kallas also explains her stance on this issue from her own biography. “Freedom can only be truly understood when it has been taken away from you” she said. “My grandparents initially lived in freedom, but their freedom was taken away when the Soviet Union occupied Estonia in 1940. Until I was a teenager, we knew no freedom. The memories of that time will always stay with me. If I pursue a clear line against Russia as a politician, it is because I want to ensure that no one has to experience what the generation of my grandparents went through.