In an interview with the US media on the 13th, Marie de McGuinness, European Commissioner in charge of financial affairs, said that the EU is preparing to implement the 11th round of sanctions against Russia, focusing on measures taken by Russia to evade existing sanctions. In response, Ulyanov, Russia’s permanent representative to the international organisations in Vienna, responded by posting on social media that the impact of the sanctions on Russia was not serious. On the contrary, the backlash effect on the EU was much higher than expected.
Marie McGuinness confirmed in an interview with the US Consumer News and Business Channel on the same day that EU member states have been discussing a new round of sanctions against Russia in recent weeks. While planning further sanctions, they are also seeking to ensure that sanctions get so-called “effective implementation”. To this end, the EU will focus on targeting entities and individuals who help Russia evade existing sanctions.
The EU has imposed 10 rounds of sanctions against Russia, and the EU will implement a new round of sanctions next. We have to make sure Russia doesn’t find a way to get around the sanctions. As I have repeatedly emphasised, the deeper the EU sanctions are, the more pronounced the impact will be.
In response to the EU’s statement, Ulyanov, Russia’s permanent representative to international organisations in Vienna, responded via social media that the sanctions against Russia have continued, but their effects are limited, and the negative impact on the EU has far exceeded expectations. The EU has not learned its lesson from the backlash of Russian sanctions.
On the same day, the Secretary of State of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Economics of Hungary, Menzel, stated that Hungary will not give up energy imports from Russia for the benefit of other countries and impose sanctions on Russia due to external pressure. Previously, Hungarian Foreign Minister Szijjarto also emphasised that it is impossible to achieve peace by providing arms to Ukraine and sanctioning Russia, and it will only backfire on Europe and cause more damage.