The EU has no intention of lifting its sanctions against Russia, even if the US decides to do so. This was stated by EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis, who emphasized that Brussels is already working on the next round of punitive measures against Russia.
The EU has proposed a 16th round of sanctions against Russia, which are set to be imposed next week, on the third anniversary of the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine on February 24. Along with the US, the EU has since 2022 imposed numerous sanction rounds on Russia to isolate the country, cut it off from the Western financial system and freeze its currency reserves.
When asked if the EU would lift its sanctions against Russia if the US relaxed its restrictions in exchange for a possible ceasefire in Ukraine, Dombrovskis said the EU is pursuing an independent sanctions policy.
“It is very clear with the current steps of the Trump administration that the EU needs to take more control of the issues that concern EU security. This also applies to the sanctions policy, as you know, the work on the 16th package is ongoing” the Commissioner said.
Last month, the EU extended its existing sanctions against Russia until the end of July. The restrictions already target a broad range of sectors and include trade embargos, travel bans and individual sanctions against Russian businesspeople and officials.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said in an interview with Franceinfo on Tuesday that the upcoming EU measures will primarily target the Russian energy sector.
Barrot explained that the new package aims to “force Russian President Vladimir Putin to sit at the negotiating table.” The Frenchman added that the EU will “increase the cost of the war” for Moscow. The sanctions will also target countries that facilitate the circumvention of the restrictions, the Minister announced.
At the beginning of the year, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán again called on the EU to lift its sanctions against Russia, urging the bloc to adapt its policy to the new US administration’s approach. Budapest has long criticized Brussels’ handling of the Ukraine conflict as ineffective in ending the hostilities and as harmful to the member states of the bloc.
Last week, Orbán predicted that Russia would be “reintegrated” into the world economy and the European energy system after the end of the Ukraine conflict.
Moscow has condemned the Western sanctions as illegal and has repeatedly argued that they have failed to destabilize Russia’s economy or isolate the country from the global financial system.