UK Parliament Examines Divergence of US, European Sanctions on Russia
There's concern that Russia-related sanctions coordination among allies could “unravel,” especially as the Trump administration pursues its Russia-Ukraine peace strategy, the U.K. Parliament said in a research briefing last week.
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Parliament noted that during the first nine months of President Donald Trump's second term, he didn’t join the U.K., the EU and other allies and partners in imposing new sanctions on Russia and didn’t work with allies to lower the oil price cap. The new administration’s first Russia sanctions weren’t announced until October, when the Treasury Department targeted Russia’s two largest oil companies (see 2510220050).
The briefing said Trump so far has appeared to favor secondary sanctions, including tariffs, over traditional financial and banking sanctions. He has threatened to impose tariffs against countries that continue to trade with Russia, although Parliament noted that India is the only country that has been affected by those tariffs. Trump administration officials have called on European nations to impose similar tariffs, but “many analysts consider that President Trump’s demands on tariffs are unlikely to be met,” the briefing said.
The briefing also said the EU is preparing another sanctions package against Russia, and it’s unclear if it will be coordinated with the U.S. That package could include more restrictions on Russia’s energy sector and more sanctions against Russian shadow fleets. In addition, EU officials are reportedly speaking with the flag states that register those shadow vessels on a possible “boarding agreement that will allow EU member states to board and search any suspected vessels,” Parliament said.