Trump has emboldened the EU to impose strong sanctions – but will they be blocked?
On 19 September, the European Commission finally presented the new draft package of sanctions against Russia – the EU's 19th.
The new package has been announced as the most powerful since Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine began, as it targets Russian energy exports, which generate the largest share of revenue for its budget.
Ahead lie real battles at the level of the EU Council.
The main opponents could be not only Slovakia and Hungary, but also other countries that continue to purchase cheap liquefied gas from Russia.
Read more about the draft of the new "most powerful" EU sanctions against Russia and why there is a high chance of approval in the article by Tetiana Vysotska, a European Pravda's journalist in Brussels: Sanctions under pressure from Trump: how the EU approached the strongest restrictions on Russia.
After Russia intensified airstrikes on civilian areas in Ukraine, combined with the refusal of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to negotiate with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Brussels promised that the new sanctions package would be the most powerful yet.
At the same time, the idea arose to coordinate the sanctions with all G7 partners.
To implement this idea, an EU Commission delegation traveled to Washington from 8–11 September, bringing a clear instruction: to strengthen the energy section of the 19th sanctions package. First and foremost, to accelerate the EU’s full withdrawal from purchasing Russian oil and gas.
Later, even clearer signals (or rather, demands) came from Washington.
US President Donald Trump stated that he would impose very strong sanctions on Russia, but only after Europe completely stops buying Russian oil.
Another of Trump’s demands: 100% tariffs on China and India from the EU.
The draft of the new sanctions was thus presented only at the end of last week. During the presentation, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated: "Therefore, we are banning the import of Russian LNG to European markets."
"It's time to turn off the tap. We are ready for this," she said.
If the presented sanctions are approved, the complete withdrawal from Russian energy resources will take place.
Another energy-related update: the Russian oil giants Rosneft and Gazprom Neft are proposed to be placed under a full ban on transactions with European partners. Previously, there had been an exception to allow European companies to supply Russian oil to third countries.
"We are targeting oil refineries, oil traders and petrochemical companies in third countries, including China," said the European Commission President.
The Commission is also gradually closing financial loopholes that Russia has successfully used to bypass sanctions.
"For the first time, our restrictive measures will affect cryptocurrency platforms and prohibit cryptocurrency transactions," von der Leyen announced.
A strike on crypto platforms could prove very painful for Russia.
"Russia's overheated war economy is reaching its limit," said the European Commission President.
Previous sanctions packages faced significant challenges during approval in the EU Council. Some resistance is expected this time as well.
The sources of dissatisfaction are not only Hungary and Slovakia, but also France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal.
However, the desire to maintain good relations with US partners may outweigh economic concerns, since it is American liquefied natural gas that the EU plans to use to replace Russian gas.
Thus, there is a strong chance not only for relatively quick approval of the 19th package but also that the most painful sanctions for Russia will not be removed in order to achieve a pan-European consensus.