Europe has boosted imports of refined petroleum products from countries that have raised imports of Russian crude oil, as a major loophole in the sanctions risks undermining the effectiveness of the price cap and embargoes, a report from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) showed on Wednesday.
The EU, Australia, and most of the G7 countries have banned direct imports of Russian crude oil, but they have raised indirectly imports of Russian oil by purchasing higher volumes of oil products from countries that have become the biggest buyer of Russia’s crude, the Finland-based center said.