ROME

EU countries know that buying gas and oil from Russia means bankrolling the war in Ukraine, but they cannot do much about it, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi admitted on Tuesday.

“There is an awareness” that Russia uses proceeds from energy exports to support its war effort, Draghi said after a two-day summit in Brussels in which EU leaders agreed on a partial embargo on Russian oil.

“There is also, especially in some countries, an awareness of the impossibility of [not buying Russian energy]. So, it is a very frustrating situation, but it will have to be resolved … it is a very embarrassing situation,” he added.

Italy is one of the EU countries that depends the most on gas supplies from Russia, but Draghi’s government is trying to change that by securing new gas deals in Africa and elsewhere.