EU renews toothless sanctions against Russia

Grouping to persist with move as it has few other viable options to end Ukraine war

- Jonathan Eyal

The European Union has decided to extend its economic sanctions on Russia for another six months after reaching a last-minute deal with Hungary, which had threatened to veto the measure.

In a communique issued on Jan 28, just days before the sanctions were due to expire, the foreign ministers of the EU's 27 member states noted that as long as Russia's military invasion of Ukraine continued, it was "appropriate to maintain in force all the measures imposed by the EU and to take additional measures, if necessary".

The European Commission, the EU's executive body, is now urging the continent's governments to tighten their anti-Russian measures by restricting further imports of Russian minerals and the sale of Western consumer electronics to Russia. However, the EU is still reluctant to ban Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) purchases, one of Moscow's most lucrative exports.

And almost three years after their introduction, there are no indications that Europe's punitive measures have had their desired effect of persuading Russia to halt its war against Ukraine.

Since February 2022, when Russian troops launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the EU has imposed a total of 15 different packages of sanctions on Russia, including restrictions on trade, finance, energy and technology.

The US, Britain and several other nations such as Australia, Canada and Japan have followed with their sanction regimes, essentially mimicking the EU measures, and often coordinated with the Europeans.