The European Union has pledged to escalate sanctions against Russia after the Kremlin failed to comply with an ultimatum to agree to a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine. Paula Pinho, the chief spokesperson for the European Commission, stated, “In the absence of a ceasefire... we are indeed looking into further sanctions.”
This announcement followed warnings from leaders of France, Germany, Poland, and the UK, who threatened "massive" sanctions if Russian President Vladimir Putin did not accept a ceasefire by midnight on Monday. Any forthcoming measures would be in addition to the EU’s 17th sanctions package, which is anticipated to receive approval from member states’ envoys in Brussels on Wednesday.
European finance ministers have taken a further step by explicitly urging the Commission to propose an 18th sanctions package. Lithuania's finance minister, Rimantas Šadžius, highlighted the necessity for additional measures that aim to “cut off” Russia’s banking sector from the global economy and emphasized the importance of addressing sanctions circumvention by targeting “third countries and parties.”
Sweden’s finance minister, Elisabeth Svantesson, echoed this sentiment, calling for an expanded sanctions package that includes listings of Moscow’s 'shadow fleet' of oil-exporting vessels used to bypass Western oil price caps. France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced that a “particularly powerful and massive” sanctions package is being prepared to target the energy and financial sectors, which will be implemented if a ceasefire is not reached. Barrot noted that the sanctions could include a significant 500% tariff on Russian oil imports.
The existing 17th sanctions package consists of visa bans, asset freezes for Russian government officials and business leaders, export restrictions, and listings of entities involved in sanctions evasion. EU diplomats believe the package's relative lack of strength will likely prevent vetoes from Hungary and Slovakia, the bloc’s most pro-Moscow member states that heavily rely on Russian energy imports.
Sanctions require unanimous support from EU member states and must be renewed every six months. An EU official confirmed that the bloc is “actively working” on “workarounds” to the sanctions regime in preparation for a critical vote on sanctions renewal set for July.
The decision to intensify sanctions follows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's offer to travel to Türkiye on Thursday for a personal meeting with Putin. The Russian president has not yet responded to this offer but has called for “direct talks” with Ukrainian officials in Istanbul “without any preconditions.”
U.S. President Donald Trump indicated a "possibility" he could attend Thursday's meeting to facilitate a peace agreement to the ongoing conflict. Previous negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian officials in Istanbul at the start of the war in 2022 did not yield any agreements, with both sides attributing blame for the breakdown of discussions.
The Kremlin criticized the EU leaders' calls for a ceasefire, describing them as an “unacceptable ultimatum,” with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov asserting, “You can’t talk to Russia in that way.”
