Today, EU Sanctions Envoy, David O’Sullivan, convened the fifth Sanctions Coordinators Forum, gathering high‑level representatives from all EU Member States and a broad coalition of international partners (the UK, the US, Japan, South Korea, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland). Representatives of the Government of Ukraine joined for a dedicated session. Commissioner Maria Luis Albuquerque, in charge of sanctions, opened the Forum by stressing the importance of continuing our close coordination with G7 partners – and beyond, to maintain the economic pressure on Russia. You can also take a look at Maria Luis Albuquerque’s statement.
The Forum was an opportunity to take stock of the sustained impact of sanctions on Russia, noting the disruptive effect and additional costs of our common measures on its access to sensitive technology. The discussions also covered the state of play of the Russian military industrial complex, and broader considerations on increased economic difficulties for Russia.
Participants exchanged on how to maintain economic pressure and reduce Russia’s revenue, also discussing the role of the ‘shadow fleet’. The Forum addressed the topic of the weakening of Russia’s industrial base and scrutiny over sanctioned items with industrial use, such as the EU’s recently revamped economically critical goods. Implementation and enforcement, notably by tackling circumvention practices and emerging trends, as well as messaging to countries outside of the sanctioning coalition were overarching themes throughout the afternoon.
Following the Forum, EU Sanctions Envoy David O’Sullivan said:
“From the onset of the war, we sought to hit Russia hard and strong through our collective efforts on sanctions. More than three years have passed since Russia’s full‑scale invasion of Ukraine and the Russian economy is experiencing great difficulties. We must maintain the pressure. In today’s meeting, we reiterated this unwavering commitment to disrupt Russia’s ability to pursue its war effort, including through enhanced sanctions enforcement and the fight gainst circumvention”.
