Thread by @DaveKeating

Waiting for the 🇪🇺 energy ministers to arrive for the emergency summit to agree an oil embargo against #Russia and a united stance on #Putin’s demand to pay for gas in #rubles.

The decisions taken today will have ripple effects throughout the global economy.

@BarbaraPompili,🇫🇷French Minister for Ecological Transition who convened this emergency meeting of energy ministers, stresses upon entering that the purpose of today's summit is to respond to Russia shutting off the gas taps to #Poland & #Bulgaria, not to discuss the #OilEmbargo.

"Today's council is exclusively on the question of gas and not on the question of oil," Pompili tells a reporter who asks about the embargo.

"We have other discussions that are ongoing, but we must stay focused today on the issue of gas."

Playing down expectations?

Austria's energy minister Leonore Gewessler doesn't seem to have gotten the 🇫🇷memo that today's meeting is supposedly not about the oil embargo.

She very much speaks as if it's being discussed today, but is vague about Austria's current position.

"Russia's demand for payment in #rubles is an attempt to divide the European Union, so we must respond in unity and solidarity," says 🇪🇺Energy Commissioner @KadriSimson.

She says ministers will discuss an update on contingency plans, gas storage and diversifying supply.

Commissioner Simson also not toeing the 🇫🇷line that today's meeting isn't also about the oil embargo.

"We will discuss it today with ministers. If they task us to do so then we are willing to [draw up an embargo proposal]". She notes there's a Commission college meeting tomorrow

For Spain's part they are supportive of an EU embargo on Russian oil.

🇪🇸Minister for Ecological Transition @TeresaRibera says gas storage is critical. She praises 🇩🇪 designation of gas storage as critical infrastructure. "We cannot rely on the [storage] management coming from🇷🇺"

"Today us as #Poland we will call for immediate sanctions on oil *and* gas," says 🇵🇱Climate Minister @Moskwa_Anna.

"I do believe that during today's meeting we will have solidarity."

"We appeal to countries not to pay in rubles. We shouldn't support 🇷🇺's economy."

🇮🇪Ireland's minister @EamonRyan (the 1st male minister to enter today's meeting, BTW) says agreement on 🇷🇺 oil embargo "is possible" today.

"We need to be strong & fast, otherwise this war could go on for long"

"We need to also push efficiency measures" to protect customers.

German Energy Minister Robert Habeck says an oil ban now would cause "local problems, rising prices & maybe supply chains are not secure, *but* it wouldn't hit the national economy as a whole."

"So after 2 months of work I can say Germany is not against an oil ban on Russia."

But 🇩🇪Habeck says the EU's oil embargo should be phased in to give time to prepare.

"It would help if we have some weeks or months to do technical preparations. We have to find some ships carrying oil from west to east, we have to prepare the harbors and the pipelines."

However Habeck says 🇩🇪 isn't the country most in need of time & exceptions.

"Other countries have bigger problems. As I have asked for solidarity and understanding for the German situation, I'm also of course willing to understand the maybe more difficult situation for others"

🇧🇪Belgian Energy Minister Tinne Van Der Straeten asked whether oil embargo exemptions should be granted to 🇭🇺Hungary & 🇸🇰Slovakia.

She says she wants solidarity, "EU measures at EU level, but we also have to understand each others' position."

🇱🇺Luxembourg's energy minister @ClaudeTurmes says he doesn't expect an agreement on #GasStorage today but "we're almost there, we expect next week we could have a deal which would then come very soon."

"The institution which is lagging is the European Parliament."

France's energy minister is right to say today's emergency meeting has been called only to discuss Russia shutting off #RussianGas taps to Poland & Bulgaria, and to prepare for further escalation.

But of course the impending embargo of #RussianOil will also be discussed today.