The differences are too big! The EU has suffered a setback in limiting the price of Russian oil

On November 24, local time, EU diplomats once again tried to reach an agreement
on a core measure of Western sanctions against Russia - setting a price ceiling for Russian oil.
The day before, they had been meeting late into the night, but ended up with "too much disagreement
".
There is clearly a huge rift
within the EU around relations with Russia.
Since February 24, the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict has lasted for nine months
.
However, the United States continues to arch the fire, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared in his latest statement that US military aid to Ukraine has reached an unprecedented level of about $19.
7 billion
.
The European Union is moving forward with a ninth round of sanctions against Russia
.
"Nine months after the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, we are still discussing sanctions
.
" French lawmaker Thierry Mariani warned, "What is left after the sanctions against Russia are exhausted?" Only war remains! ”

On November 24, local time, EU energy ministers held an emergency meeting to discuss the natural gas price limit plan, and all parties had serious
differences.
(Visual China)

Poland insisted on $30 per barrel of oil

The Wall Street Journal reported on November 24 that European diplomats are negotiating a mechanism
aimed at suppressing Russian oil revenues.
They hope to put the mechanism in place by December 5 so that a cap on the price of Russian oil and the EU embargo on Russian oil will come into effect
at the same time.
The former will stipulate that the price of Russian oil must be lower than the set price, otherwise Russian oil transportation will not be able to obtain maritime services, such as finance and insurance in the Group of Seven (G7) countries
.

The mechanism, which needs the support of all EU27 governments, was originally scheduled to be finalized on November 23
.
However, according to Bloomberg, the New York Times and other US media reports, this measure promoted by the United States and pro-Ukrainian allies has suffered setbacks, and EU countries are seriously divided
.
Poland rejected the European Commission's offer of $65 a barrel, arguing that the exorbitant ceiling was too soft for Moscow
.
According to diplomats, Poland insisted on setting the price at $30 per barrel
.
Countries such as Greece, Cyprus and Malta, which have huge shipping industries, do not want oil prices below $70, and some even demand compensation for the loss of revenue their maritime operations may suffer
.
In addition, the Wall Street Journal said that Hungary is extremely reluctant to impose further sanctions
on Russia.

According to Kommersant, this is part of
an unprecedented attempt by the European Union and the United States to control the world's most important energy prices.
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on November 24 that the Western plan could bring "serious consequences"
to the energy market.
Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that Russia will not supply oil and gas
to countries that enforce price limits.

Russia's "Viewpoint" said that everyone understands that if Russia cannot find other markets to sell its remaining oil, it will reduce exports, and both the United States and the European Union are worried about this
.
If Russia cuts exports, global oil prices will rise
sharply.
Russia will receive the same income as before with less supply, and inflation in the West will climb at an alarming rate
.

On November 24, the EU also convened an emergency meeting of energy ministers in Brussels to discuss limiting natural gas prices to reduce the impact
of sharp price increases on people's lives.
But some government representatives thought it "wouldn't work" and even called it "a joke.
"
The Associated Press reported that at the day's meeting, countries failed to overcome serious differences
.
This suggests that the energy crisis, linked to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, has divided the EU into almost irreconcilable camps
.

"The EU is fueling the escalation of the conflict"

In addition to limiting oil prices, the EU is also moving forward with
a ninth round of sanctions against Russia.
According to Reuters on November 24, European Commission President von der Leyen revealed the news
during a visit to Finland on the same day.
"We are working to combat Russia's sore spots and further weaken its ability to
wage war against Ukraine," she said.
Von der Leyen did not provide further details
on the specific content of the sanctions.

Russia's "Izvestia" reported on November 24 that French parliamentarian Thierry Mariani said that it is in the interests of Russia and Ukraine and their people to end the conflict as soon as possible, as well as in the interests
of France.
But what is not normal is that the EU is contributing to the escalation of the conflict rather than seeking peace
.
Marine Le Pen, former leader of the French far-right National Alliance, said on TV on the 23rd that France should stop supplying weapons to Ukraine, especially the "Caesar" self-propelled howitzers, because this will damage France's own security, "All the weapons we transferred to Ukraine today are taken away from France"
.

Thierry Mariani specifically criticized the European Parliament for pushing Europe to war
with Russia.
What he said was the European Parliament voted on the 23rd to adopt a resolution
recognizing Russia as a "state sponsor of terrorism".
This approach has aroused strong dissatisfaction
in Russia.
Russia's "Viewpoint" reported on November 24 that Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zakharova posted on Telegram: "The European Parliament passed a resolution
identifying Russia as a 'terrorist financier'.
I propose to identify the European Parliament as a 'funder of idiotism'
.
”

The United States suffers "damage"

On November 23, local time, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a statement on the State Department website saying that the United States continues to provide military assistance to Ukraine, and the latest round of $400 million in military aid will include air defense equipment and additional weapons and ammunition
.
So far, since the Biden administration took office, the total amount of US military assistance to Ukraine has reached about $19.
7 billion.

However, the United States is also paying the "price"
for this.
Today's Russian TV reported on the 24th that the continuous transfer of weapons to Kiev caused "damage"
to US weapons stockpiles.
Earlier this week, U.
S.
Army weapons acquisition chief Pipe Bush said the military was speeding up the process of arms procurement to make up for the shortage
.
But Pentagon documents recently seen by the New York Post show that replenishing the Army will take "years.
"

The New York Times reported the "side effects"
of US military aid to Ukraine from another angle.
The newspaper said on the 23rd that an American-made AGM-88 high-speed anti-radiation missile launched by the Ukrainian army in the east of the country had injured 3 civilians
.
This is an example
of the weapons supplied by the United States in relation to civilian casualties in this nine-month conflict.
Despite the stalemate in Russia's ground operations in Ukraine, it continues to carry out fierce missile and drone attacks
.
In response, Ukraine relies heavily on air defense systems, some of which are supplied
by Western allies.

The British magazine "New Statesman" said that the recent Polish missile incident exposed the hidden tensions between Ukraine and its Western supporters
.
Since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict on Feb.
24, the United States and its European allies have weighed how to allow Ukraine to defend
itself without triggering a broader war.
But the crisis has brought attention to the potential for the conflict to escalate beyond Ukraine, dragging NATO members into war
.