The European Union should introduce new sanctions against Russia after every massive Russian strike on Ukraine, instead of waiting for lengthy procedures for the adoption of the next large sanctions packages. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Szybiga called for this.
He made his statement at a joint briefing with his Polish counterpart Radoslaw Sikorski in Kiev. According to Sibiga, Ukraine has already provided its European partners with information about the use of Western components in the production of Russian missiles and drones, writes Evropeyska Pravda.
“We should not wait for large sanctions packages“, said Sibiga, suggesting that after each massive strike against Ukraine, appropriate restrictions against Russia should be adopted.
The Ukrainian minister placed special emphasis on the so-called “anti-ballistic package“. According to him, the goal should be to deprive Russia of the ability to produce ballistic missiles and drones and to limit its access to military technology.
According to Sibiga, Moscow continues to find ways to circumvent the current sanctions. A particular problem is the use of components manufactured in Western countries and Europe, which subsequently end up in the Russian military industry.
“Russia, unfortunately, has learned to circumvent sanctions“, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister said, adding that Kiev has provided its European partners with specific information about the components used.
According to the Ukrainian side, it is precisely the restriction of access to technologies and industrial components that can have a serious effect on Russia's ability to produce weapons for war.
Sibiga's appeal also comes against the backdrop of new difficulties in maintaining the EU's unity in terms of sanctions policy. The ambassadors of the member states have failed to reach an agreement on the continuation of personal sanctions against individuals associated with Russian aggression.
The disagreements are related to requests by two countries for changes to the lists of individuals who fall under the sanctions regime. This shows that even maintaining existing restrictions can become a complex political process.
Kiev's latest proposal effectively raises the question of changing the pace of European sanctions policy. Instead of sanctions being negotiated over weeks and assembled into separate large-scale packages, Ukraine is insisting that the reaction be faster and directly linked to specific Russian attacks.
For Kiev, such an approach would also have a preventive effect. If Moscow knows that every massive strike automatically leads to new restrictions on access to technologies, components and financial resources, the pressure on the Russian military industry could increase.
Sibiga's proposal is yet to be discussed with European partners, but it also shows Ukraine's growing insistence that sanctions policy towards Russia be not only more extensive, but also significantly faster.