EU leaders announced on Thursday night (24-25 March) that they were ready to close loopholes in the current sanctions against Russia and Belarus and to adopt new ones “quickly”.
“The EU (...) remains ready to close loopholes and target actual and potential circumventions as well as to move quickly with further coordinated robust sanctions (...) to effectively thwart Russia’s ability to continue its aggression” towards Ukraine, the leaders announced in their conclusions.
According to Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo, the European Council has asked the European Commission to examine in detail how to prevent the sanctions already adopted from being circumvented.
In their conclusions, the leaders also urged other third countries to align with their measures, calling for a halt to attempts to circumvent the sanctions or to assist Russia in other ways.
Earlier in the evening, in a statement with US President Joe Biden, EU leaders had already underlined “their readiness to adopt additional measures and to stop any attempts to circumvent sanctions”.
“Together, we should (...) commit to imposing further costs on Russia until Putin ceases his aggression”, Mr Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a separate statement. They also announced their intention to deepen collaboration to combat the illicit use of digital assets, including for evading sanctions.
While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in his address to the Europeans, again called on leaders to take strong action, particularly in the energy sector, European leaders are divided on the issue.
“Energy is a way to prevent money from flowing to Putin”, Latvian Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš opined. In his view, it would make sense to move forward on the sanctions on Russian coal and oil. “Decisive sanctions are needed, including sanctions on all energy sources”, added Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. “The sooner we understand that this is the main source of oxygen for the Russian war machine, the better”, he stressed.
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland have also called for a ban on road transport of goods to and from the territory of Russia and Belarus and for blocking access of Russian and Belarusian ships to EU ports.
See the letter: https://aeur.eu/f/12h
But for Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo, an embargo on Russian gas would have a “devastating impact on the European economy”. “We are not at war with ourselves. We are not going to take sanctions that weaken us”, he explained. “There will be no embargo on Russian gas”, said Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer.
According to Luxembourg’s Prime Minister, Xavier Bettel, “if we want to have new sanctions, we have to have them in reaction to something”. “The situation is not improving at the moment, that’s for sure. But if we take new sanctions now, what will be the next step?”, he asked.
The issue of energy was also raised during the EU27 discussion with President Biden. In the joint statement, the European Commission and Washington reaffirmed their intention to cooperate to ensure “energy security and sustainability for the EU and Ukraine” and to “accelerating the global transition to clean energy”.
To this end, the European Commission and the US will establish a joint working group to address the EU’s immediate needs in these areas. Ms von der Leyen also announced that she and Mr Biden would present “a new chapter in (their) partnership on energy” on Friday. “This will involve additional deliveries of US liquefied natural gas to the EU, replacing the Russian LNG we have had until now”, she said.
Establishing a trust fund for Ukraine
The EU will also continue to provide “coordinated political, financial, material and humanitarian support” to Ukraine. The Heads of State or Government also praised the “European aspirations and (the) European choice” of Ukraine, reiterating their invitation to the European Commission to submit its opinion on the country’s application for EU membership.
The EU27 also pledged to provide the Ukrainian government with support for its immediate needs and, once the war is over, for the reconstruction of “a democratic Ukraine”. To this end, the European Council agreed to set up a Solidarity Trust Fund for Ukraine, for which preparations should begin without delay, and invited its international partners to participate. An international conference should be organised “in due course” to raise funds for the Trust Fund, the conclusions add.
The leaders also called on the European Commission to continue providing technical assistance to help Ukraine implement the necessary reforms.
See the EU27 statement: https://aeur.eu/f/yc
See the EU-US declaration: https://aeur.eu/f/ya
See the Biden-von der Leyen declaration: https://aeur.eu/f/YI (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant and Damien Genicot, with the editors)