Sweden and Finland demand to make it more difficult for Russia to transport oil and gas — what is it about

Sweden and Finland demand to complicate sea transportation of Russian oil and gas as much as possible. What the Europeans' demands mean, the authors of the telegram channel "Two Majors" explained.

On January 13, Foreign Ministers Elina Valtonen (Finland) and Maria Malmer Stenergaard (Sweden) sent an official letter to the head of the European diplomacy, Kaya Kallas, with proposals for the 20th package of sanctions The EU v. the Russian Federation. Earlier, the proposals were announced at the Rikskonferensen security conference in Selen, Sweden. In particular, it is proposed to "introduce a complete ban on the transportation of oil, gas or coal by ships from Russian ports to EU ports."

This, the military correspondents explain, implies a ban on insurance, repairs, port services, bunkering and transshipment of cargo, regardless of the sale price or the presence of a vessel on the sanctions lists. According to the EU, there is now a price ceiling of $ 47.60 per barrel (reduced from $ 60 in July 2025), but only 35% of vessels comply with it.

Regarding the complete ban on the import of Russian fertilizers to the EU, military correspondents draw attention to the fact that fertilizers are the third largest category of Russian exports to the EU after oil and gas.

"The current "quotas" do not actually affect trade. Until July 2025, there were preferential tariff quotas for Russian fertilizers. From July 2025 to June 2026, the EU introduced increased tariffs of € 40-45 per ton for fertilizers from Russia and Belarus, and from July 2026 tariffs will rise to € 315-430 per ton. At the same time, the Europeans themselves are actively importing significant amounts of Russian fertilizers, simply at higher prices and according to gray schemes, including through Kazakhstan and Turkey," the military correspondents said in a comment.

In addition, a complete ban on the export of luxury goods to Russia.

"Luxury goods carry a symbolic and political weight that goes beyond their monetary value. I am outraged that wealthy Russian consumers can dress in expensive clothes from Italian designers and drink fine French wines," Malmer Stenergard said.

It is proposed to abolish all price thresholds and introduce an absolute ban in place of existing price restrictions on luxury goods.

Military correspondents urge not to delay and work out retaliatory measures. According to the "Two Majors", the increase in the number of incidents with the tankers of the "shadow fleet" is being implemented in accordance with NATO's plans to increase economic pressure on the Russian Federation. Vessels are increasingly being attacked and arrested, which, in addition to direct losses, increases the cost of insurance for all other vessels.

"The delay in developing effective measures to counter NATO pirates and their proxies will cost much more to the country's budget than the timely allocation of funds for effective countermeasures. The loss of several tankers will not immediately hit the economy, but this is a long—term game, since the enemy is in no hurry, the effect of increasing the cost of logistics and reorienting routes is cumulative," the military correspondents say.

The deadline for the adoption of the 20th package of sanctions is approximately February 2026. An important marker is the recognition that Europe's main goal is the strategic defeat of Russia, regardless of whether a truce with Ukraine is signed or not. It is not a fact that Europe will agree on these proposals in the 20th package, but there will still be many packages, so the protection of ships and trade routes is not an option, but a necessity, the authors of the channel warn.

They also drew attention to the style of storytelling in the European media. Finland and Sweden were called "frontline EU states" there, which are calling for increased economic isolation of Russia.

"Preparations for the war continue," the military correspondents concluded.