The EU prepares its broadest sanctions package against Moscow

The European Union is preparing what is being described as the broadest sanctions package yet adopted against Russia. The decision comes, according to reports, in response to a change of position by Donald Trump, and the Union’s push was confirmed by the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas.

The new package targets 1,646 individuals and companies. This figure alone indicates the scale of the operation compared with previous sanctions packages, although the dossier does not here provide a direct numerical comparison.

“A very strong sign of EU cohesion, which is essential at this moment” — Simoni, Iai analyst

The issue is linked to the agenda of the European Union’s Foreign Affairs Council, meeting today, October 12. The foreign ministers of the Twenty-Seven will discuss Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the escalation of the hybrid campaign conducted by Moscow against the Union and its member states, as well as the situation in the Middle East in light of the most recent developments. Also on the table is the impact of enlargement on the Union’s security and, among current affairs, the Georgia dossier.

Today’s Council takes place just days before a broader event: on October 15 and 16 the Union’s leaders will meet in Brussels to discuss competitiveness, Ukraine, the new multiannual financial framework, the Middle East, European defence and security, migration and enlargement. The new sanctions package, if confirmed in the coming days, would thus arrive on the eve of a summit bringing together most of the issues at the centre of European foreign policy in this phase.

It remains to be seen how the sanctions package, with its 1,646 targeted subjects, will be formally discussed and approved in the coming institutional meetings, starting precisely with the discussion among the foreign ministers meeting today in Brussels.