Italian deputy PM calls for return to Russian energy imports

Matteo Salvini says lifting EU restrictions is key to averting an economic crisis

Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini has called on the EU to resume imports of Russian oil and gas, arguing that the bloc should prioritize energy security.

The war in the Middle East has exacerbated Europe’s energy crisis, as disruptions to navigation through the Strait of Hormuz – a key route handling around 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas – have pushed oil prices up by as much as 70% since February.

Speaking at a ‘Patriots for Europe’ rally in Milan on Saturday, Salvini, the leader of Italy’s Lega party, argued that the EU Stability and Growth Pact (SGP) and the “ideological monster called the Green Deal” are holding back the economy. He called for the bloc’s ban on Russian energy imports to be reversed.

“To tackle the energy crisis, the rules of the Stability Pact must be suspended and Italians’ money must be used to help Italians in difficulty,” he told supporters, urging Brussels to follow the US and lift the sanctions, which are “blocking the trade and purchase of Russian oil.”

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The US temporarily eased the restrictions on certain Russian oil shipments after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz to “enemy ships” in response to US and Israeli airstrikes. A license initially allowed the sale of oil loaded onto tankers before March 12 through April 11, and was extended on Friday to permit purchases of oil and petroleum products loaded as of that date until May 16.

“If the US is doing it, then Brussels should do the same: rather than shutting down factories, schools and hospitals, we should return to buying gas and oil from all over the world, including Russia. We are not at war with Russia,” Salvini said.

In January, the EU formally approved a plan to phase out Russian pipeline gas by 2027, overriding objections from Slovakia and Hungary. Hungary challenged the move in the EU’s top court in February, and Slovakia has said it will follow suit. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico argued that the ban constitutes “a clear violation of all the principles on which the EU treaties are based.”