Ukraine urges EU to take stronger stand on Russian sanctions as US shifts focus

Ukraine is set to urge the European Union to adopt tougher sanctions against Russia, with a focus on seizing Russian assets and imposing secondary sanctions on buyers of Russian oil, as US President Donald Trump backs off from tightening sanctions.

The move comes as uncertainty grows over Washington's role in the sanctions regime, with Ukraine preparing to present a white paper to the EU next week outlining new measures to further isolate Moscow, Caliber.Az reports citing foreign media.

The 40-page document, which has not been previously reported, calls for the EU to take a more independent stance on sanctions, particularly as Washington's commitment wavers. Among the proposals, Ukraine suggests adopting legislation to speed up the seizure of assets from sanctioned individuals, which would then be redirected to Ukraine. This would allow those under sanctions to potentially seek compensation from Russia.

Ukraine’s white paper also advocates for EU actions to enforce sanctions more broadly beyond its borders. This includes targeting foreign companies that assist Russia by using European technology and introducing secondary sanctions on purchasers of Russian oil. Secondary sanctions could directly affect major buyers like India and China, a step Europe has hesitated to take. Trump had previously discussed such measures but refrained from acting on them.

Additionally, the white paper proposes moving towards majority-rule decision-making in the EU for sanctions, to prevent individual member states from blocking measures that require unanimous approval. While the EU and Britain imposed further sanctions against Russia on May 20, they are still hoping for US participation in the effort.

The situation highlights a stark shift in US policy. After a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump chose not to impose new sanctions, disappointing European leaders and Kyiv. The US president conveyed to Ukrainian and European leaders that he preferred to give talks time to progress rather than impose fresh measures.

Ukraine's white paper also criticizes the Trump administration’s diminishing involvement in multilateral efforts to coordinate sanctions and export controls. It claims that Washington has essentially ceased participation in critical intergovernmental platforms and has slowed the pace of sanctions enforcement, leaving Europe to shoulder more of the burden.

Ukraine expressed concern that a US retreat from the sanctions regime would disrupt EU unity, a sentiment echoed by a senior Ukrainian official: "American withdrawal from the sanctions regime (would) be a huge strike on the unity of the EU. Huge."

Despite these challenges, experts suggest that Europe’s sanctions alone could still have a significant impact on Russia. "Europe holds a lot more cards than you'd think," said Craig Kennedy, a Russian energy expert at the Davis Center, Harvard.

By Vafa Guliyeva