It's becoming increasingly difficult for the EU to agree on new sanctions against Russia — Euractiv

It is becoming increasingly difficult within the European Union to agree on new sanctions against Russia, as the restrictions are increasingly affecting the economic and foreign policy interests of individual member states.

According to Euractiv, last week EU member states agreed to extend sanctions against individuals close to the Kremlin, but at the same time agreed to remove Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the sanctions list.

Some European diplomats are concerned that sanctions are gradually becoming a tool for individual capitals to advance their own foreign policy interests.

According to Philip Lausberg, a senior analyst at the European Policy Center, since 2022, the EU’s sanctions policy has shifted from energy security issues to more specific economic, corporate, and foreign policy issues.

The expected 22nd sanctions package could pose a new challenge for Brussels. Lausberg notes that the most obvious areas for restrictions have already been largely covered—namely, oil, gas, raw materials, export controls, and the financial sector.

Potential new targets include companies linked to Russia’s “shadow fleet,” financial institutions, cryptocurrency exchanges, and entities in third countries that help Moscow circumvent export restrictions. At the same time, countering such schemes is more complicated.

The possibility of sanctions against Chinese banks is being discussed separately. According to Lausberg, this would be a significantly tougher measure, but it could strain the EU’s relations with Beijing.

Against this backdrop, Brussels is increasingly focusing not only on imposing new restrictions but also on ensuring more effective enforcement of existing sanctions. The sanctions list is expected to be expanded in October to include approximately 1,600 additional individuals and organizations.

Source: Euractiv

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Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga criticized the EU’s decision to remove Russian businessmen Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the sanctions list. He called the decision shameful and urged EU countries to impose their own national sanctions against them.