Bloomberg: EU approaches limit of sanctions pressure on Russia

The European Union appears to have reached the limits of its capacity to impose sanctions specifically targeting Russia, according to a Bloomberg report.

As the EU prepares its nineteenth package of sanctions against Russia, expected in the coming months, the bloc faces significant constraints in further escalating punitive measures.

Bloomberg notes that the EU has historically been hesitant to impose secondary sanctions, a position reinforced by criticism from the Trump administration, though discussions on such measures have now begun.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has highlighted that the EU is actively considering the use of frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine, signalling that the next round of sanctions is imminent.

Moscow has strongly condemned the freezing of Russian assets in Europe, calling it theft. Russian officials emphasise that these measures target not only private individuals but also state assets. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned that Russia could respond by restricting funds held in the Russian Federation by Western countries.

Russia has repeatedly asserted its ability to withstand Western sanctions, which have been in place for several years and continue to intensify. Moscow stresses that the West is unwilling to acknowledge the limited impact of these sanctions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously characterised Western efforts to contain and weaken Russia as a long-term strategy. He argued that sanctions have caused serious disruption to the global economy, with the primary aim of worsening the lives of millions of people.

By Tamilla Hasanova