The EU Wrestles With a Response to Russia
The European Union’s foreign ministers met Monday in Luxembourg to discuss the bloc’s foreign policy. Finding common ground among the 28 EU members on any subject can be difficult, much less in an area such as foreign policy, where decisions have to be made unanimously. The task becomes even more complicated when, like Monday, Russia is on the agenda. After the meeting, the European Union issued a statement criticizing Moscow’s involvement in the Syrian conflict and its veto of the U.N. Security Council resolution to restore the cease-fire and allow humanitarian access to the city of Aleppo. But despite weeks of speculation that the bloc would consider more sanctions, the statement did not contain any mention of punitive measures against Russia over Syria.
Before the foreign ministers’ meeting, EU members had been discussing ways to increase pressure on Russia to get it to stop its airstrikes against Aleppo and allow the delivery of humanitarian aid to the city. The United Kingdom and other countries have suggested the introduction of expanded sanctions against Russia, and European media published articles saying Russian officials linked to the airstrikes could be sanction targets. But different EU members have very different — and often conflicting — energy, trade and security priorities when it comes to Moscow, which means that discussions within the bloc about Russia are never simple. At a time when the Continental bloc is struggling to decide what to do with the sanctions imposed on Russia over the situation in Ukraine, the prospect of new punitive measures is just another headache for the European Union.
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