ADVERTISEMENTThe European Union intends to move forward with a new package of sanctions against Russia to exert greater pressure on Vladimir Putin to accept an unconditional 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, although the United States does not do it at this stage.
But the sanctions are faced with a difficult struggle to be approved due to the unshakable opposition of Hungary and the lack of coordination with Washington. The action plan Envisaged by Brussels Includes the tightening of the price ceiling on Russian crude oil, which could be practically impossible to achieve without the United States joining.
“An 18th package is being prepared with other impactful sanctions,” Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said on Tuesday, after having had a telephone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“It’s time to intensify the pressure on Russia to cause the ceasefire,” she added.
The high representative Kaja Kallas admitted that the unanimous agreement would be “difficult” to find among the Member States, but said that the challenge should not dissuade the block from advancing.
“I don’t think we have the choice. We have to exert more pressure,” Kallas said, arriving at a meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels.
“We want to see these consequences also on the American side. We have really not seen the pressure on Russia of these talks.”
After a two -hour telephone call between Trump and Putin on Monday, the American president announcement That Russia and Ukraine “would immediately begin negotiations to a cease-fire and, more importantly, the end of the war”. The conditions for such a cease-fire, he said, would be “negotiated between the two parties, as it cannot be”.
“Let the process start!” He said on social networks.
Putin, for her part, said that Russia would work with Ukraine on a “memorandum” on the terms of a “cease-fire possible for a certain period”. The truce, however, would be subject to whether “the appropriate agreements are concluded,” he noted.
The Russian chief continues to drag his feet to accept Trump’s proposal for an immediate and unconditional cease-fire, which the Ukrainian and European allies firmly supported as a prelude necessary for in-depth negotiations.
Despite the rebuff, Trump later told journalists that he would not impose new sanctions against the Kremlin, hoping that the last telephone call would lead to tangible progress.
“I think there is a chance to do something, and if you do this, you could also worsen things. But there could be a time when it will happen,” he said.
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Officials of the White House had previously threatened to tighten the Russian economy screws to force the Kremlin to a temporary truce.
“What I can tell you is that the sanctions were very ineffective during the Biden administration because they kept them low because they were afraid to raise the prices of domestic oil,” said Scott Bessent, US secretary of the Treasury on Sunday.
The gap in thought between the United States and the EU was exposed after the telephone call that Trump held with European leaders.
“Europe will increase pressure on Moscow by sanctions. This is what we agreed with Potus after his conversation with Putin,” said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Zelenskyy, who was also part of the call, said that “if the Russians are not ready to stop killings, there must be stronger sanctions”.
The European Commission currently designs what should be the 18th package of sanctions against Russia since February 2022, targeting the banking sector, the northern flow pipelines and more ships of the so-called “Fleet Shadow Fleet”.
Von der Leyen also suggested reducing The price ceiling On Russian crude oil, which the G7 created at the end of 2022 at $ 60 per barrel. The ceiling has remained intact since then, even if Moscow continued to negotiate well above the brand.
Price reduction of $ 60 to tighten more Kremlin income will require an agreement with the White House and other G7 partners. Trump’s decision not to make other sanctions at this stage is likely to derail the review, which was supported by kyiv, the Nordics and the Baltics.
“We will see if it can be really (made) in the form of a joint measure of the G7 or not,” said Paula Pinho, chief spokesperson for the Commission.
Another point that separates the transatlantic allies is their vision of the day after the war.
In his reading, Trump expressed his desire to resume economic relations with Russia, which could happen once the sanctions have been lifted. “There is a great opportunity for Russia to create massive quantities of jobs and wealth,” he said.
On the other hand, the EU always said The sanctions would only be removed after Russia withdrew its military forces from the Ukrainian territory and that a lasting peace has been reached. In addition, the majority of Member States agree that the frozen assets of Russia, worth 210 billion euros, should remain paralyzed until Moscow pays war repairs.
Earlier this month, the committee presented an ambitious roadmap To eliminate all Russian energy imports by the end of 2027 – a huge decrease in trade.
