El Pais: EU approaching its "peak sanctions" point against Russia

The EU is approaching its "peak sanctions" point, where governments begin prioritising their own economic interests over imposing further restrictions on Russia, Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, a researcher at the Bruegel think tank, has said.

“What remains are, let’s say, very thin slices of salami,” he explained in a telephone interview, Caliber.Az reports, citing El Pais.

According to the report, the European Union is finding it increasingly difficult to identify new targets for sanctions against Russia without facing objections from at least one member state.

The newspaper noted that after adopting 21 sanctions packages, the bloc's previously united approach is beginning to show signs of fatigue, as the list of restrictions has become so extensive that agreeing on additional measures is becoming increasingly challenging.

The adoption of the EU's 21st sanctions package illustrated this trend, as it was approved only after the concerns and demands of several member states were taken into account.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov