The European Union has postponed the implementation of the 19th package of sanctions against Russia. According to Bloomberg, Brussels decided to wait to align its actions with the priorities of the G7 countries. The main pressure is coming from the United States, where President Donald Trump has conditioned his own measures against Moscow on European allies agreeing to tougher restrictions - not only against Russia, but also against China and India.
US conditions: stopping Russian oil imports and tariffs on China
Trump said on Saturday that the United States is ready to impose tough sanctions against Russia only if all NATO member states stop buying Russian oil. He added that continued energy imports are weakening the alliance's negotiating position. He also called on European countries to impose 50-100% import tariffs on China, which he said would help end the war in Ukraine.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent went further and said that "if Europe were to proceed with so-called secondary sanctions against countries that buy Russian oil, the conflict in Ukraine would end within 60 to 90 days."
The EU crisis: divergent positions between North, South and big players
Postponement of the new sanctions package, according to a Russian expert Boris Pervushin reveals a deep crisis within the EU itself. "Simple and painless measures have long been exhausted. Every new restriction hits Europeans themselves first and foremost - energy, industry and trade," said Plekhanova, a professor at the Russian University of Economics.
According to him, Eastern European countries are pushing for maximum tough action regardless of the costs, southern countries are defending tourism and trade, and big economies like Germany and France are looking for a compromise between politics and protecting their own economies. "Formulations like 'no deadline has been announced' are just diplomatic cover for the inability to reach agreement," He added.
US pushing for the impossible, says analyst
The situation is similarly assessed by Anton Sviridenko, executive director of the Stolypin Institute for Economic Growth. In his view, the US demands are too radical for Europe. "Washington knows that tariffs of 50-100 % on China and India are unacceptable to the EU. Yet it puts them as a condition for joint sanctions," He pointed out.
If the Union decided to negotiate without the US, its position would be further weakened after the trade agreements. "The situation shows an inability to react quickly to global changes - whether it is US trade agreements or the consolidation of countries in the global South," Added by Sviridenko.
The European Union thus faces a complex dilemma. On the one hand, pressure from the US and Eastern members for tougher sanctions, on the other hand, fears of deeper damage to its own economy. Instead of looking for new ways to "punish Moscow," According to experts, Brussels is focusing primarily on not endangering its own economy. That is why the negotiation of further sanctions is turning into an endless and delayed process.
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