Why the EU Still Can’t Agree on Its Next Round of Russia Sanctions
Many European Union diplomats thought that it would become easier to approve sanctions on Russia after the departure of former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in May, after 16 years in power. Seen as the most Kremlin-friendly leader in the bloc, other European politicians and diplomats had oft
Source: OilPrice.com
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DW NOTE
The EU has imposed fifteen sanction packages on Russia since February 2022. Each required weeks of negotiation. Each left carve-outs for member states whose economies depend on Russian energy or whose banks clear Russian payments. The sixteenth round is stalled for the same reason the first fifteen were diluted: unanimous consent means Hungary can veto, Cyprus can delay, and Germany can insist on protecting its remaining chemical feedstock imports. Sanctions by committee aren't economic warfare — they're performance art with footnotes.