German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that Germany should stop importing coal from Russia for a 120-day transition period, which is provided for by new EU sanctions. Within 4 months, all EU member states must implement a complete rejection of Russian coal. At the same time, Scholz added that it would be good if it could be done faster. However, local companies need time to prepare and search for new sources of energy. Yesterday, the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the EU countries in Brussels agreed on the fifth package of sanctions against Russia. It will be officially published today. The new sanctions provide for a ban on the import of coal and some other goods from the Russian Federation, an embargo on the supply of weapons and high-tech goods to Russia in the amount of 10 billion euros, as well as the freezing of assets of a number of Russian banks. In addition, Russian ships will be denied access to EU ports and the work of Russian cargo carriers in Europe will be restricted. Earlier, Poland also stated that it plans to completely abandon Russian coal in April or May, and by the end of 2022 – completely abandon oil from Russia. Latvia in early April, the first in the European Union, has already refused to supply Russian natural gas. Latvia's example was immediately followed by the rest of the Baltic states – Lithuania, Estonia.
