EU envoy urges US to rejoin the West on sanctions against Russia over war in Ukraine

euronews (in English)

EU envoy urges US to rejoin the West on sanctions against Russia over war in Ukraine  David O'Sullivan, the EU's sanctions envoy, told Euronews he hopes the US will return to a policy of applying new sanctions against Russia.  READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/10/14/eu-envoy-urges-us-to-rejoin-the-west-on-sanctions-against-russia-over-ukraine-war  Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages

Transcript

00:00Military and Russia experts say Putin is testing NATO and Western unity over its alarmingly

00:06frequent drones and fighters sent into European airspace.

00:10Meanwhile, the EU is pressing ahead with its 19th package of sanctions over the Kremlin's

00:15full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

00:17The sanctions include bringing forward the date for a ban on Russian LNG gas into the

00:22EU.

00:23However, the US, under the Trump administration, is no longer imposing new sanctions against

00:28Russia.

00:29The sanctions envoy David O'Sullivan says he hopes this policy will be reversed.

00:34We hope that Mr Trump will draw from the experience he's had until now that Putin clearly doesn't

00:39want peace.

00:40We, in the meantime, will continue to apply our sanctions in conjunction with the rest

00:44of the G7.

00:46And we hope that the US will rejoin us very soon.

00:50How have the sanctions worked?

00:52Have they lived up to the expectations about crippling the Russian economy?

00:56I think the sanctions have been very effective.

00:59You can see all the key indicators in the Russian economy are flashing red, whether that's the

01:04interest rate, whether that's the inflation rate, whether that's the rate of public expenditure.

01:09They're talking about raising taxes.

01:11They've had to run down the National Welfare Fund.

01:14Gazprom has posted a deficit, is laying people off.

01:17So, I think all the indications are that the Russian economy is being put under severe constraints.

01:22But I agree, it's more of a slow puncture than it is a blowout.

01:27And we have to be willing to maintain the pressure for some time to come, still, if we're going

01:31to finally squeeze the ability of Russia to finance this awful war.

01:36What would you like Donald Trump to do, though, as part of this war?

01:38Obviously, we know that he's trying to create a trialogue with the United States, Zelensky and Putin.

01:43But Putin has refused to meet President Zelensky.

01:45The first piece is the military side, which is one of the reasons why we're working on the immobilised assets

01:53and the ability to give Ukraine more money with which to purchase weapons.

01:57And we would like to see the United States join in again in the kind of sanctions that we've been doing

02:04in the 17th and the 18th package and the 19th package.

02:07Just, you mentioned the Russian frozen assets, most of which are here in Belgium and Euroclear.

02:12The Commission and other countries who are supportive of this are pains to say this is not confiscation.

02:18But it really does look like confiscation, because it's not likely that Russia is going to get that money back,

02:23because unless, of course, Russia decides to pay for reconstruction,

02:27which is not something that people believe is going to materialise.

02:30So explain how it's not confiscation or what it is.

02:33Well, it's not confiscation, because exactly as you say, Russia will get this back if they pay the reparations.

02:38So, I mean, it's their choice.

02:40If they choose not to pay the money they owe for the destruction they have caused in Ukraine,

02:45then indeed Ukraine has some call on those assets in Europe as compensation.

02:51And that's the model that's being pursued.

02:54Ukraine would get the benefit of a loan, but would have to repay that if Russia pays reparations.

03:00And with that repayment of the loan, Russia would get the money back.

03:03So what we are saying is we're holding them until we see how Russia is going to step up for its responsibilities

03:10and the undoubted debts that it owes for the reconstruction of Ukraine with the massive destruction,

03:16deliberate destruction of civilian infrastructure that we have seen.

03:19The money will always be there to give back if and when the Russians start to pay.

03:24Now it's for its contributions.

03:26If not, there are draws people to make a copy of Marie-Kaz and other projectiles,

03:27no matter which one of laughed theikes ok.

03:29You can destroy people again, fig and Cabe, others say that those or rails will lead to an unknown.

03:30Now let us know which of course the !!!

03:31The number of rich E Faiths supports have第一redger,

03:32why they do not yield the opportunity for the expansion of the Covid-19.

03:34And so that prior to chronicle E CHAsena Cosmos,

03:36do not yield the opportunity for you,

03:37and I would believe that any sam hillside its low-19 stadiums will therefore be in a Yup-19 in wzglet.

03:38Now this encouraged to those available,

03:39those are the first places that they're Ooo – we are in the world of the Covid-19 refugees conflict.

03:41This is really an issue thress.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended