Today, EU Sanctions Envoy, David O’Sullivan, convened the sixth 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.
Since the last Forum, the EU and its allies have continued to collectively increase sanctions on Russia in a sustained way. Today was an opportunity to take stock of their latest impact, noting the disruptions in Russia’s energy exports and access to international payment systems. The discussions also covered the state of play of the Russian military industrial complex and constraints to key military supply routes.
Participants exchanged on how to continue to exert pressure on Kremlin revenues, in particular looking to those facilitators enabling large-scale evasion of sanctions levelled against Russia. Tackling circumvention practices and the identification of emerging trends were overarching themes throughout the afternoon.
Following the Forum, EU Sanctions Envoy David O’Sullivan said:
“It’s been three years and half since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and all signs point to increasing economic difficulties for Russia as a result of sanctions. Working closely with allies, our sanctions work as vital grit in the system. The fight against circumvention is an ongoing cycle of enforcement and evasion. Today, we reiterated our resolve to stick to the course.”
Related links
Sanctions adopted following Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine
Overview of sanctions and related resources
