EU-US sanctions talks collapse as transatlantic coordination on Russia falters Report by German media

Negotiations between the European Union and the United States on coordinated efforts to prevent the circumvention of economic sanctions against Russia have collapsed, according to a report published on May 26 by the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung.

The newspaper cited an internal document from Germany’s Foreign Ministry detailing the outcome of recent diplomatic consultations.

The internal report references a session of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, which took place in Brussels on May 20. During this meeting, the EU’s Special Envoy for Sanctions, David O’Sullivan, reportedly announced what he described as a “complete breakdown of transatlantic coordination on the issue of sanctions evasion.” O’Sullivan made it clear that there is no longer any ongoing joint work between the EU and the US in this area, adding that the broader cooperation among G7 nations has “lost momentum” as well.

Süddeutsche Zeitung noted that this deterioration in cooperation raises serious questions about how the EU and the US plan to synchronise future sanctions packages targeting Russia. With the collapse of this coordination mechanism, the prospects for any new agreement between European and American partners on further sanctions now appear highly uncertain.

The EU has so far adopted 17 sanctions packages in response to Russia’s actions, bringing the total number of sanctioned individuals and legal entities to more than 2,400, according to official data.

Meanwhile, The New York Times recently reported that US President Donald Trump declined to join a new round of sanctions against Russia being prepared by European countries. This decision reportedly came after a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on May 19.

However, Trump’s position appeared to shift following a large-scale Russian military strike on Ukraine on May 25. In response, the US president stated that he was prepared to strengthen sanctions on Russia. Citing sources familiar with the matter, The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump is now considering introducing new sanctions by the end of the week, potentially before June 1.

By Tamilla Hasanova