EU Calls on US to Join Russia Sanctions to Intensify Pressure on Moscow

(MENAFN) European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas urged the United States on Monday to coordinate its sanctions policy with the bloc, arguing that stronger joint measures by Washington, the EU and the United Kingdom could increase pressure on Russia to end its war in Ukraine.

Speaking to reporters before the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg, Kallas said a more unified approach among Western partners would make sanctions more effective and strengthen efforts to influence Moscow’s decisions.

“It would work so much better if our partners from the UK and from the US would be aligned with us,” she said, pointing to the proposed Graham bill on Russia as a potential means of expanding US pressure on the Kremlin.

"We could really put the pressure so that Russia will finish this war," Kallas said.

She claimed that sanctions had cost Russia €1 trillion ($1.1 trillion) and said measures targeting the country’s so-called shadow fleet were further restricting Moscow’s ability to finance its military campaign. The shadow fleet consists of vessels used to transport Russian oil and other energy products, often through arrangements intended to circumvent restrictions.

Kallas also addressed US President Donald Trump’s announcement of an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. She said the EU welcomed the initiative but emphasized that its effectiveness would depend on whether Moscow respected the arrangement.

The EU official argued that any ceasefire should go beyond protecting energy infrastructure and include a broader halt to attacks causing civilian deaths.

She stressed the need for an "end to the killing of people."

Kallas also raised questions about whether the proposed arrangement would provide equal benefits to both sides, noting that Ukraine had one refinery while Russia operated several. She cautioned that the terms of the ceasefire should not give Moscow an advantage.

The discussion also touched on Trump’s call for fresh elections in Ukraine. Kallas recalled that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had expressed willingness to organize elections as soon as possible if a ceasefire could be established.

Her remarks underscored the EU’s position that coordinated economic pressure and a meaningful cessation of hostilities remain important elements in efforts to end the war. They also highlighted continuing differences over how sanctions, ceasefire arrangements and Ukraine’s political process should be addressed.

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