A number of media reported on the 8th that negotiations on sanctions within the European Union were in a difficult position because many member states of the European Union were worried that the new round of sanctions against Russia would affect their energy supply and wanted to seek oil supply guarantee. EU member states plan to discuss the draft of the sixth round of sanctions against Russia later on the 8th local time, including that most member states should stop importing Russian oil by the end of the year. The draft can only be adopted with the unanimous consent of Member States. Hungary and other member states have previously requested sanctions exemption or energy supply support. An unnamed European diplomat told Agence France Presse on the 8th that the difficulty of current national consultations is not politics, but the need to provide "alternative resources" guarantee to member states that rely on Russian oil, "which is not easy". According to the diplomat, Russian oil flows to Europe through pipelines. To change the status quo, it requires "infrastructure and technological changes", "which requires not only EU funds, but also agreements between some Member States". Josep Borrelli, the EU high representative for foreign and security policy, said earlier this week that if countries could not reach an agreement on sanctions against Russia at the weekend, he would convene the foreign ministers of Member States for consultations next week. Agence France Presse reported that the hope of reaching an agreement by the 9th is fading. Earlier this week, several Hungarian officials said they did not support the new round of sanctions against Russia by the European Commission, because this plan would undermine the security of Hungary's energy supply and the energy embargo would be a "red line". Some sources told the media that the EU has proposed to modify some parts of the draft, including setting aside a buffer period for Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic until 2024. According to the sixth round of sanctions against Russia submitted by the European Commission to the representatives of Member States for consideration on the 4th, the EU will completely ban the import of Russian oil by the end of this year, that is, Member States must stop importing Russian crude oil six months after the effective date of the sanctions and stop importing Russian refined oil by the end of this year. Hungary and Sri Lanka can postpone the implementation, but the buffer period was originally only until the end of next year. (Xinhua News Agency)