Brussels has reportedly run out of ideas on how to hurt Moscow directly
The European Union is weighing potential punitive measures against states it claims are helping Moscow bypass Western restrictions, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, citing sources.
Western governments have unleashed an unprecedented wave of sanctions against Moscow over the past decade, with the EU adopting its 18th package last month after overcoming resistance from Slovakia. Work is already underway on a 19th package, with Brussels hoping to adopt it next month.
However, the EU “appears to have arrived at the limits of what it can do with sanctions targeting Russia directly,” Bloomberg wrote.
EU foreign ministers will meet in Copenhagen, Denmark, later this week to “informally” discuss a range of harsher options, people familiar with the matter told the publication. They are expected to revisit the so-called “anti-circumvention tool” adopted in 2023, which would allow them to block the export, supply, or transfer of certain goods to states suspected of helping Russia bypass EU restrictions.
The ministers are also reportedly considering further steps against Russia’s oil and gas and financial sectors, as well as new limits on trade in Russian goods.
Moscow has maintained that sanctions are far more damaging to the bloc’s member states than to Russia. The restrictions have failed to destabilize the Russian economy or isolate it from the global financial system, as Moscow has redirected trade from the West to Asian, Middle Eastern, and other markets.
EU officials have also allegedly pressed US President Donald Trump for tougher measures against Moscow’s trade partners, but Washington has so far held back on a broader sanctions package, Bloomberg reported.
Trump previously threatened secondary sanctions on Russia’s partners, particularly BRICS nations, but has so far targeted only India. He imposed an additional 25% tariff on the country’s continued purchase of Russian oil, which took effect on August 27.
New Delhi has strongly condemned the tariffs as “unfair and unreasonable,” arguing that Western nations themselves do even more business with Moscow. India insists that its imports from Russia serve the national interest and help ensure affordable energy for its consumers.
