"I am disappointed that the proposals do not include oil. When we are talking about the finances that go into Russia's budget from the sale of coal to Europe, coal is not much, and you could add candles and firewood if you wanted to make it stronger. But if we are not talking about something as fundamental as oil, it is not a big blow," Landsbergis said in an interview with CNN on Tuesday.
It would be easier for European countries to give up Russian oil than gas, just as Lithuania has recently done, Lithuania's top diplomat said.
"Gas is one of the most difficult issues for many European countries, and that is understandable, although I would like to see active preparation for disconnection (from Russian gas). But I could not say the same for oil. Oil is easier to replace, more countries are producing it, it is easier to transport and it is easier to replace Russian oil. I think it could be done in the near future," Landsbergis noted.
Speaking of Lithuania's decision to give up Russian gas, the minister said "the decision was not made overnight".
"We have been preparing for this since 2014 as until then we were 100 percent-dependent on Russian gas, then we built a gas terminal and reduced our dependence by 30 percent. When it was clear late last year that Russia might invade Ukraine, we were preparing for what we announced two days ago. We were looking for new contracts, new purchases, and we were preparing for the fact that one day, sooner rather than later, we would eventually give up Russian gas," Landsbergis said.
"My question to our friends and allies is whether it is still possible to prepare for this, if it has not been possible in the last few months. What Russia is doing is no longer new, there has been six weeks of real war and a lot of work could have been done already", the Lithuanian foreign minister said.
The European Commission on Tuesday proposed a new package of sanctions for Russia, and it would include a ban on coal imports and prevent Russian ships from entering European ports.
"Russia is waging a cruel and ruthless war, not only against Ukraine's brave troops, but also against its civilian population. It is important to sustain utmost pressure on Putin and the Russian government at this critical point," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a video address.
In her words, the EU must step up pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin after the "heinous crimes" around Kyiv. There is increasing evidence that Russian soldiers may have deliberately killed Ukrainian civilians.
Von der Leyen pointed out that the coal import ban is valued at 4 billion euros a year and that the EU has already started preparing additional sanctions, including on oil imports.
The EC President did not mention natural gas. It is more difficult to secure a consensus among the 27 EU member states on sanctions on natural gas as it is used for electricity and home heating.