EU working to Trump-proof Russia sanctions – Reuters

The EU is seeking to buttress its sanctions against Russia over concerns that Donald Trump could derail Western efforts to isolate the country if he wins the US presidential election, Reuters has reported, citing informed sources.

Officials within the bloc are discussing several initiatives aimed at making sure that the EU’s restrictions remain in place for a longer term, even if Washington changes its course, the news outlet wrote on Friday.

According to the sources, Brussels is considering bolstering its sanctions against Moscow by enforcing them more tightly.

The measures that are being considered include “catch-all” clauses to identify and stop suspicious Russia-bound goods shipments and wider oil shipping curbs, they told Reuters. Customs officials should be allowed to hold up shipments if the destination seems “illogical,” such as crossing Russia to reach Central Asian countries, the sources explained.

Another idea is to alter the current requirement that a freeze on Russian central bank assets must be renewed by EU members every six months, making these intervals 36 months long instead, the report read.

Around $300 billion worth of Russian assets was blocked by the West after the escalation of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev in February 2022. Most of the frozen funds are being held in the EU.

The EU nations were “wrongfooted” when Trump unilaterally pulled the US out of the international Iranian nuclear deal during his first presidential term between 2017 and 2021. The bloc’s officials now “fear a similar about-face” on Russia if the Republican presidential nominee is re-elected on November 5, two people told the agency.

"Any softening by Washington would leave Europe in a difficult position, as it is the US, with sweeping powers to punish sanctions busting globally, that primarily enforces the rules,” Reuters noted.

During his campaign, Trump has repeatedly suggested that he could cut US aid to Ukraine if he returns to the White House. He has also dodged direct questions from journalists about whether he wants Kiev to defeat Moscow, instead claiming that he could end the conflict within 24 hours. Last week, the Republican nominee insisted that Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky “should never have let that war start. That war is a loser.”

Speaking at the BRICS Summit in Kazan on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that the West’s “unlawful unilateral sanctions” and interference in the affairs of other countries are actively undermining regional and global strategic stability, as well as encouraging “interstate strife.” The belief in the US and EU that they will be able to deliver a strategic defeat to Russia through economic restrictions and backing Ukraine is “a mere illusion,” Putin said.